Debt
by AnitaGrace
Summary: AU Kagome's a graduate student writing her thesis and working at her job. When she's has to bring a kid into work with her, she finds herself indebted to her boss and forced to work it off. But trouble doesn't end there when the supernatural kicks in. SK
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hello, my little butterflies! And Welcome to my first Inuyasha fanfic ever! Today we have a nice Alternate Universe course, followed by a Kagome Higurashi dabbled in light graduate school sauce accompanied by best friend Miroku/Sango chutney. If you take a look at the menu, you'll find it all done up in a nice Boston style. I hope you enjoy.

**Further Summary:** Kagome Higurashi is a typical graduate student at Boston University: She has her own apartment, a good job and a two-hundred word paper to write. Everything's going fine until one night she has to take her neighbor's kid into work with her after promising to babysit him. Disaster ensues in the form of precious private property and Kagome finds herself in debt up to her ears. The only way to pay it off is to work for the President of her company, Axis Management Corp. The guy's a jerk but what's a girl to do?

**Chapter One: An Introduction, If You Please**

The best way to start any story is to introduce the main character:

Kagome Higurashi, aged twenty-three years and entering her final year at Boston University to claim her graduate degree is the heroine of our story. As the heroine, she will face many trials and tribulations which include:

Writing her graduate thesis of over two hundred pages

Maintaining her own apartment in the Back Bay area, which she has recently acquired

Going to classes

Babysitting her neighbor's hyper-active but completely lovable kid

Keeping her sweet job at Axis Management Corporation (also in the Back Bay area)

As you can see, this will be no easy story. Any one of these troubles would be… troubling, to say the least (particularly #4) but all five of these problems is quite daunting to say the least. It would be best if I didn't write this story, perhaps, because then it would be like none of it ever happened.

But then we wouldn't get the great stuff like sex, murder and winter in the Alps. Some of these things might even actually occur, though of course I cannot guarantee anything.

So now that the basic introduction to setting and heroine has been finished, it would be best to introduce a few minor characters:

Miroku Morioka is Kagome's oldest friend. He's very handsome and he knows it. He also attends Boston University as a grad student and has known Kagome since the first days of undergraduate school at Boston College. He lives on Commonwealth Avenue (two streets to the left of Kagome's street) in a pretty nice town house with his longtime friend, somewhat recent girlfriend. I'd give you his specific address, but no doubt you'd run over there and demand something indecent and he (being the truly generous soul he is) would be unable to turn down a woman in need. (If you are a man, there is nothing he could do; in fact, he is not home, so go away.)

And if that were to happen, his girl friend would beat you up and bury him and we would lose one of the reasons people wish to read this story. Of course, it would take care of the murder part of the plot, but it would also take away from the sex part by at least ninety percent. (If you count fantasizing, it's ninety-eight.)

Not that there won't be plenty of promiscuosity (as the author I am taking creative licensing to make up words) but without Miroku Morioka there would simply be a whole lot less. Sex, I mean.

Moving on:

Sango Katagiri is Kagome's best friend. It is she who owns the town house on Commonwealth Avenue with her boyfriend, Miroku Morioka. She had only met Kagome's sophomore year as an undergraduate student when they were forced to dorm together due to strange and bizarre circumstances I have decided aren't worth the trouble to indulge to you, the reader.

At first, these girls did not get along. Sango is a strong woman, a little shy and very reticent, and does not like to be touched. Kagome is very bubbly and bouncy and many other words all beginning with the letter 'b'. (Except for bitch. Kagome is not very bitchy.)

Also, Kagome likes to hug people. A lot.

So you can imagine they weren't the best of friends. Add in the lecherous Miroku, fond of going through drawers when no one is looking, and there was quite a bit of tension in room 406 that year. But in the end, Kagome managed to win her over in a manner that is left unknown to even me, the omnipotent author. (Or is it omniscient?)

Ah, the last character I will be introducing today is from #4 on the list from the beginning and his name is Shippo Horiguchi. He is an adorably small seven-year-old with tiny little hands and bright green eyes like grapes made out of emeralds. He is a very attentative and draining character and I am expecting quite a show from him, so don't forget who he is.

The last thing I will describe (and then we will get on with it, I swear!) is Kagome's apartment and it is so small, it will not take long at all.

First off, it is very… er, um, well, _small_. It's fine for one such as Kagome, unused to the high end of life like her best friend Sango, and she is still in school so there is only so much she can afford. And really, she got it for a great deal. A bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom and a room of all rooms for so cheap in such a nice part of town, and it wasn't even a college building so it was very conceivable that she might live there even after her graduation. Very nice, very nice.

It even has a nice view because she lives on the tenth floor. And it came with a couch. A very nice couch. She can afford to pay for it with her sweet job at Axis Management Corporation while her mother continues to pay for her college tuition. (Her mother is very nice.)

And see? That was it. That was all the describing that needed to be described as of now. There will be more later on, but it will be done in a less… well, you will feel less like you just got hit with a truck full of manure/details and more like you are reading a story with an actual plot.

But good for you, if you've made it this far. It gets much more interesting from here on and I hope you will appreciate the madness and its method. If you need anything, please tell me and I'll have Miroku deliver it over to you in very tight jeans.

(Miroku will be in the jeans, not whatever he's delivering. But you can keep them – the jeans – if you want; I'm sure he wouldn't mind taking them off for you. Especially if it's in time to a song.)

Ta ta!

---

**A/N:** Please, if you have any comments, tell me. I promise the rest of the writing won't be as riddled with author narrative – I was just trying to make this part a bit more interesting. Please review, my little darlings!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: An Encounter That Didn't Please**

Kagome Higurashi's morning started off really well. She didn't have any classes until early afternoon so it wasn't her alarm that woke her up but the simple peace of one who no longer needs to sleep.

She rolled off her mattress and stepped out of her clothes as she walked into the bathroom. After a lovely shower, she ate breakfast/lunch. Her best friend Sango called her up shortly after that and they made plans for the next day, Friday.

The time neared when she had to leave for her class so she gathered her bag, her keys and the green, spiral bound notebook she took with her everywhere and left for the subway station half a block away. It was still early September so the air was crisp and the sky was clear. She wore loose-fitting jeans, a pink tank-top, a pink skull cap and a white, cable knit sweater. (She was feeling spectacularly fashionable, today.)

While she was passing the large Barnes and Noble smiling out onto the street from the Prudential Shopping Center, she was struck by a passage she had read in one of the books there when she had been browsing last. Fishing for a pen, she flipped open her green notebook and jotted down a note to possibly use later in her thesis.

Getting off at the Washington Street Silver Line about a block away from the campus, she walked into the building that held her class, took notes for the lecture, and left once more. Hopping back on the subway, she stopped at a station in Back Bay near her place of work and had a bite to eat before continuing on.

Five-fifty-five rolled around and that is when Kagome Higurashi entered the first floor of Axis Management Corporation on Boylston Street. The large lobby was two stories high and full of cream marble. It was empty except for a small food stand on the right and a high, marble-topped desk on the left. The food stand was always closed by the time Kagome arrived and tonight was no exception.

Sitting at the desk was a young woman by the name of Alexia. She ran the desk during the regular office hours, nodding politely to those who worked there and signing in those who did not. She accepted packages and mail and dealt with difficult messenger boys. Her job was not complicated by any expanse but she handled it well and it showed through her tenure.

Alexia rose, grabbing her coat from the desk's lower working space hidden on the far side. "Well, thank goodness you're here!" she called out. "I've got my son working on his big paper for school tonight and I told him I'd help. Said I got a girl here who knows all a_bout_ paper-writing!" She winked.

Kagome smiled and set down her bag. "Well, good luck then! I've got everything under control so don't you worry."

"Oh yeah," Alexia rolled her eyes and shifted her heavy weight. "I know you got to worry 'bout all those folk comin' in here this late at night. I don't know _how_ you deal with it."

Kagome laughed. "I know – it's _so_ difficult."

Alexia snorted and threw on her jacket. "Well, you just get writing your paper, sweetheart, cause I _know_ you ain't cut out for this line of work too long."

"Yes, ma'am," Kagome waved. "See you later, Alexia!"

Alexia waved through the glass windows on the darkening street. "Bye, honey!" was her muffled reply.

With Alexia gone, Kagome settled into her seat and pulled out a few books and her green notebook. The thick tomes were littered with bright little page markers like flags. When she opened the pages, every margin was filled with scribbles decipherable only to her and highlighted sentences and words in all the colors of the neon rainbow. The green notebook was starting to look a little worn. Pages were filled with irreplaceable notes and paragraphs. She had already written fifteen printed pages worth of her paper and still more points of reference.

Alexia had once remarked, after seeing this notebook, that it was too bad Kagome didn't have a computer for all this. Nowadays it just seemed like you couldn't get a decent education no how without a Dell.

But Kagome did have a computer: in fact, she had a very nice laptop that her mother had given her just a year before when her old one had finally kicked the bucket. It was simply just that Kagome preferred writing with a pen and paper. Ideas seemed to flow better and she loved the feel of the pen sliding over the crisp lines, the smell of the notebook and the feel of the pages.

Eventually she would have to type it up, but that wouldn't take too long: a week or two, maybe. But by then, she'd have everything edited and reworked within an inch of its existence. All she would have to do was hit print and hope she didn't have to run out for more paper.

Footsteps on the marble of the lobby floor echoed around the cavernous lobby and stopped in front of her desk. Looking up, Kagome saw who it was and smiled broadly.

"Why, hello, Mr. Okada!"

"Hello, Kagome."

A tall man with black hair and piercing blue eyes leaned on the marble desk top above Kagome. He grinned down at her, his mouth quirked higher on one side, his left eyebrow raised. His shirtsleeves were unbuttoned under his black suit jacket and his tie was undone, the shirt hanging open to reveal his tanned and muscular neck.

"Working on the old thesis, I see." Though he gestured to the notebook with his right hand, his eyes never left her face and his smile never wavered.

Kagome chuckled nervously. Was it just her or was his gaze just a little too fixed?

"Yeah, you know how it is… graduate school and all…"

Mr. Okada shrugged easily and glanced away. "Not actually. Never went to college. But it obviously didn't stop me from getting the good job and making the good money." His grin and smile were back, making Kagome feel like he was poking her with a stick.

"Yeah, well," Kagome shrugged and smiled. "I guess we aren't all super great like you, Mr. Okada."

She had meant it as a joke between friends (or at least acquaintances) but it seemed Mr. Okada didn't take it that way.

His grin dropped from his face and his eyes lost their playful twinkle. He leaned forward across the desk and grabbed both of Kagome's hands up in his own. Kagome felt herself being pulled forward, the top of her desk cutting painfully into her stomach.

"Kagome," Mr. Okada spoke in a deep and steady voice. "You are a wonderful woman and nothing would change that, even if you _didn't_ go to college. You will always be a remarkable and attractive girl."

Kagome blinked. What…? Where was this _coming_ from?

A throat cleared behind them and both the actors in this little real-life drama turned their heads to the source of the sound. A nervous young man shifted his weight from side to side and coughed into his hand. His hair was an amazement – completely white with a thatch of midnight black growing right in the center front on his head, and despite the grey, he looked to be no older than Mr. Okada himself.

Mr. Okada frowned. "What is it, Ginta?" he demanded.

Ginta cleared his throat again and spoke in a voice that was a perpetual whine. "Hakkaku said he's got the car waiting, K- Mr. Okada."

Mr. Okada sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll be right there." He turned back to Kagome. "Remember, Kagome: You are a worthy woman."

Kagome nodded, her eyes wide. "Okay, Mr. Okada. Bye…"

And with a kiss to the back of her clasped hands, he left, "Ginta" following after. ("Why do ya always wait so long in the office, Kouga? It's not like you're doing anything anyway…")

Kagome sighed and shook her head. Settling back down into her seat, she picked up her pen and tapped it against the open page of her text. Though that was the last of her human interaction for the night until her relief showed up at midnight, she wasn't sure she was upset to see him go. Mr. Okada was a… presence, to say the least. Kagome couldn't be sure if he took his flirting seriously or if he was just being friendly. She preferred to think he was just being friendly. To be completely honest, she was not interested in a relationship with the guy at all, no matter how handsome and suave he might be.

She blamed Miroku – how was a girl supposed to be able to the difference between flirting and fun when her best guy friend did both?

Fortunately for Kagome, (and quite typically, at that) nothing else of interest happened the entire night. When midnight rolled around, the large man who relieved her of her station (named Arnie, to Kagome's never-ending delight) he called a cab and gave her the appropriate amount of money as agreed upon when she accepted the job. (After all, it's very unsafe to walk the streets of any city at night, even if you are going the short distance from Kagome's workplace to her home three streets over and down five.)

At 12:28, she had locked the front door behind her, thrown her bags on the floor, walked out of her clothing and collapsed on her mattress on the floor, in her underwear. The day had started out really well and had ended on a similarly pleasing note.

She should have known it wasn't going to last.

---

Kagome Higurashi was awakened by her alarm clock at 7:52.

And again at 8:01.

And again at 8:10.

The alarm clock that belonged to Kagome Higurashi was thrown on the floor and forever silenced at 8:19.

At 8:20 it was miraculously brought back to life mysteriously and went berserk on the floor that belonged to Kagome Higurashi.

Groaning, Kagome rolled over onto her stomach and screamed into her pillow. It has never been proven but I hold to my theory that it was this and this alone (the screaming) that cause the alarm clock that belonged to Kagome Higurashi to stop its insane beeping at that time.

How else do you explain the alarm clock's sudden silence at the exact moment she pillow-screeched?

Kagome smiled and chuckled into her pillow, happy to have vanquished the evil alarm clock.

At 8:43 Kagome Higurashi sat up with a start and realized _why_ she had an alarm clock.

Kagome rushed to the bathroom, turned on the faucet to her bathtub and stuck her head under it. There was no time to wash her hair or take a shower so she hoped that if she just got her hair wet and pulled it into a bun no one would notice the oil. (From experience: that never works.) She hurriedly brushed her hair and teeth, using different types of brushes, and ran back into her room. Grabbing the first pair of jeans she found, she threw them on, grabbed a sweatshirt, her bag and ran from the apartment.

Fortunately, she managed to catch the train that left only ten minutes after the train she originally meant to take.

With seconds to spare, she made it to her first class and into her seat in the back of the lecture hall. Whew…

The class passed without incident, as did her second class. When Kagome's belly grumbled with its lack of food, she remembered the promise she had made to Sango the day before. Hurrying along to the designated café, she found her friend already sitting at an outdoor table.

"Well, we won't be getting to do this for too long," Kagome said instead of greeting her friend like a proper person would. She sat down at the table and began lifting her sweatshirt up to take it off. "Winter always comes so quickly and lasts forever."

"Kagome!"

Kagome lowered her sweater and peered at her friend. Sango was blushing and pointedly looking everywhere _but_ at Kagome.

"Yes, Sango?"

"K-Kagome?" Sango blushed harder. "Are you sure you put on a bra this morning?"

Kagome looked down and low-and-behold: No bra! (No da!)

"Hmm," Kagome looked down at herself, not bothering to let go of the sweatshirt. An elderly couple to the side was giving her a strange look. Kagome didn't notice them, but Sango did and it made her face turn completely crimson. "I guess not…"

"For god's sake, Kagome! Put your shirt back on!" Sango hissed and reached across the table, jerking the front of the sweatshirt down. "This isn't the time to be flashing everyone!"

"I know!" Kagome smiled and clapped her hands. "That's for later!"

The old man at the table next to them cheered quietly, causing his wife to squawk. Kagome heard it and waved to him. He looked as if he was going to get up and say something to her, but his wife threw a roll and hit him in the eye.

When Kagome turned back to her best friend Sango Katagiri, her friend was no where to be seen. Leaning forward, Kagome found her slumped down in her chair, her hand covering her face.

"Aw, whatsa matta, Sango? Somethin' wrong?" Kagome cooed.

Sango glared up at her friend. "You're as bad as the Monk," she accused.

"Does that mean you want to date me?"

"No."

"Does that mean you'll let me live in your house with you?"

"No."

"… Will you buy me the-"

"No!"

Kagome waved her hand. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Sango shook her head and tugged on the bottom of her shirt. She was finally sitting up straight. "I don't need to. You're just being silly."

Kagome smiled and rested her elbow on the table and her chin on her hand.

"So what was it in particular you wanted to talk to me about?"

Sango began twisting her paper menu. "What makes you think it was something in particular?"

"It's always something when you call me out like this." Kagome glanced across the street at the storefronts. "You never actually _plan_ stuff to do with me – like lunch like this. It's always let's hang out, let's do something, let's blah blah."

Sango glanced up at her friend. "Does that bother you?"

Kagome looked surprised. "No, of course not! What do I care? I prefer it that way – that way we get to do whatever we feel like _then_ as opposed to what we felt like doing some other time. It's good."

"Oh. Okay then." She went back to her twisting.

"But really," Kagome rambled on. "It's not like you just want to eat lunch and then go on our separate ways, usually. Usually it's something big, like the last time when you told me about how Miroku…" Kagome sat up straight.

"I knew it!" she crowed.

Sango jumped. "Knew what?"

"I knew it!" Kagome squealed into her hands.

"Knew _what_?" Sango wailed.

"You did it!" Kagome pointed at her. "You and Miroku did it! You se-"

Sango had leapt across the table, spilling plates and cutlery to the floor, so she could cover her friend's mouth with both her hands.

"Don't say it. If you say it, Kagome…" Sango's words trailed off dangerously. Kagome shook her head vigorously. Sango sighed and sat back in her seat. A waiter hurried over and gathered up the dishes and forks. "We didn't do it; that's not why I called you here today."

"Then why?"

Sango took yet another deep breath. It almost seemed like a good idea to suggest she invest in a respirator, but somehow Kagome managed to keep that to herself.

"A man offered to do a show of my work in a gallery in the South End."

Kagome's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my god, Sango! Do you mean it? The South End? That's like the Soho of Boston! Oh my god, I'm so happy for you!" Kagome reached across and hugged her friend. Sango (having been friends with Kagome for quite a few years now and having gotten somewhat used to the touching) allowed her friend to hug her for a full four seconds before squirming away.

"Yes, but there's a problem, Kagome." Sango didn't meet Kagome's eye.

"They're pictures of you."

"What?" Kagome asked breathless. She shook her head. "So what? Sango, you take pictures of me all the time! Why's that a problem?"

Sango's eye twitched.

"Some of them you weren't aware I was taking them."

Kagome frowned. "What – like when I was showering?"

Sango's other eye twitched.

"No, but in some of them you're not… completely clothed…"

Kagome laughed. "Can you see anything vital?"

Sango shook her head.

"Am I doing anything stupid like picking my nose?"

"Ew, you pick your nose?"

Kagome held up a hand. "Not the point here, Sango, my little stalker. Are the photos you took embarrassing?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem?" Kagome shrugged, then beamed. "I'm so happy for you, Sango! Gosh, I can't believe this – this made my day!"

Sango quirked a brow disbelievingly. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Kagome gushed. "This is so great! I can't wait to see it!"

"Well, it won't be until late October…"

---

It really had made Kagome's day a lot brighter to find out that her friend had gotten her first real gig. Until then, Sango Katagiri had merely been the manager of a local art gallery her father had some influence with.

But Sango had been determined from the start to make her way in the art industry by her own abilities and no that of her father's. She had been taking pictures since middle school, black and whites mostly, though she was known to add in color during developing. Her pictures tended to have a fanciful quality to them, like half-forgotten dreams. They were breathtakingly beautiful to look at and it was no wonder that she was already given her own show at the age of twenty-four.

It was hours later when Kagome was trying to remember a specific photograph she thought Sango had taken the summer before last as she traversed the corridor of the tenth floor of her apartment building. In the midst of her mental wanderings, a door slammed open and a harried, young woman burst out.

She screamed upon seeing our heroine.

Kagome jumped and spun around, looking for her attacker.

"Oh god- Kagome!"

A young woman who looked to be around the age of thirty hurried up to Kagome in a hunched-over sort of run. Her red hair was hanging in her face and her white cardigan was slipping off her shoulder. "Please, Kagome! You have to take him! I- I need a babysitter! I need you to take care of him; it's so important! Please, just for the night! The office… the office called… I'll be back tomorrow morning for school… Please… Oh thank you, Kagome! You don't know how much I owe you!"

With a wave, she took off down the hall. In less than the time it took for a thought to pass (one of Kagome's at least) she was gone.

"Wait… Ayame…" Kagome protested lamely. Looking down at the thing her neighbor had thrust into her arms, Kagome fought the urge to blanch.

The cutest little face peered up at her innocently. Tiny hands clutched at the fabric in her sweatshirt. Emerald eyes hidden under fluffy orange bangs blinked.

"Uh, hey, Shippo…"

The little boy blinked. "Are you mad, Kagome?"

"No! Of course not!" Kagome hugged the little boy and pasted a smile on her face. "Um, this just means… oh cr-darn." Kagome sighed. "Hey, Shippo, you think you can do me a favor tonight?"

Shippo perked up. "Yeah, Kagome! What is it?"

"Well, see, I have to go to work, too, just like Ayame…"

"Ayame's always working."

"Yeah… and well, that means I guess you gotta come with me. Which is not a problem! It's totally not! It just means you gotta be good for me, right Shippo? Can you do that?" Kagome gave a little sniff. "'Cause, if you can't… (sniffle) I might cry…"

"Oh no, Kagome!" Shippo reached up and patted her cheek with a hand. Really, but he was quite the monkey! "It's okay, Kagome; I'll be good! I'll be real good and we'll have lots of fun!"

"Yay!" Kagome did a little dance and Shippo giggled. "Oh, gosh! We have to leave now if we're going to make it!" Kagome put Shippo down and took his hand. He had to reach up to grasp her palm. "Are you ready to go, Cap'n?"

"Aye aye, soldier!" Shippo saluted.

And they left the building, hand in hand, on their way to a brighter tomorrow.

---

Kagome suspected her first mistake was this:

"Oh, here we go! Hey, Shippo! Have you ever heard of this? It's called Pocky. No college student can live without it."

And her second one might have been this:

"All right, Shippo, are you thirsty? You stay right here and I'll go get you a soda."

But maybe the biggest mistake was:

"Hey, look! My bag of crack! Well, I think it's mostly crack. There might be some speed and crystal meth in there, too. Have some, Shippo!"

Okay, that last part didn't happen, but it might as well, with Shippo's behavior. It was so bad, right from the beginning, that even Mr. Okada didn't bother sticking around when he saw Kagome – and that was _before_ the unnecessary sugar.

Kagome was about ready to break down. This had been the worst idea in the history of the world. She should have called Sango up and begged her to either take Shippo or make Miroku temp her job. She was sure Alexia and Arnie wouldn't have said anything (Alexia was already cool with the whole Shippo thing) and Miroku probably wouldn't have minded the chance to work without distractions (Sango) even if he really liked grabbing the butt of his girlfriend (distractions).

Kagome groaned into her hands. Shippo was currently bouncing around the room with the air of someone who had snorted the entire party mix bag of drugs she didn't actually own.

It was many, many minutes before Kagome realized the problem: it was quiet.

She jerked her head up from her hands and squinted around the lobby. It was already dark outside, but the hall was brightly lit and no exuberant red-head was anywhere to be seen.

"Shippo?" Kagome called out. Her voice reverberated off the ceiling and into the void. "Shippo?" Her pitch rose in frequency the second time she spoke.

"Shit."

Kagome leapt from her chair and headed for the stairs. She figured they were her best bet, seeing as how she hadn't heard the elevators opening. When she was running up the steps, nearing the first floor, she thought she heard a metallic slam. Running to the railing, she peered up and called Shippo's name once more. The only response was silence.

She hurried on, her sneakers pounding the concrete steps as she ran from floor to floor. It had sounded like a door slamming shut and like it'd come from many flights up.

The first floor she tried to find Shippo on was actually the eighth floor and it was empty. She peered around cubicles and poked her head into offices and tried not to get lost. The job she was paid for had never led her to gain access to anywhere further than the front lobby. She'd gotten word of the opportunity through a notice on a board at the University and had interviewed in the nearby Starbucks. There was no reason for her to venture any further into the building and so she had no clue into any of the little hidey-holes that might be scattered throughout.

By the time Kagome had reached the fourteenth and final floor, she was about ready to pass out from exhaustion. It is speculated that she lost a pound or two of weight with all that running, but she surely gained it back in the days to come because of her indulgence of sweeter foods due to the trauma caused by events which are about to occur.

If you need to re-read that sentence to comprehend it to its fullest, then by all means do so – this story is not going anywhere.

Back to Kagome, it was a delighted squealing that lead her to forgo all the searching of desks and run through the darkened corridors of posh offices to the other end of the floor. There stood two heavy mahogany doors, bright, yellow light pouring from where they had been opened and the cracks beneath them.

Kagome slowed and approached the doors warily. In the dark of the night, they appeared sinister, as if all her fears lay beyond them, ready to pounce at will. The sort of nightmares that existed in light, that cannot be chased away by a blanket thrown over her head – that was what seemed to be hidden behind those doors.

She pushed one open slowly and peeked her head around it…

"Shippo!"

Shippo looked up sharply from where he was in front of the computer. The room was enormous, obviously belonging to someone very important to the company. The desk was a huge mahogany affair done in a classical design, replete with green, leather ink blotter and gold leafing tastefully done along some of the carvings. The black chair Shippo stood on was leather as well and complemented the black, gold and red lacquer display case along the adjacent wall. The case held an impressive display of Japanese swords mostly, a few daggers and throwing stars. The carpet was a black, green and gold Oriental over a dark hardwood floor.

"What are you doing, mister? Didn't you promise me you'd behave?"

"Uh oh!" Shippo leapt from the swivel chair, causing it to swivel around, his hand sliding across the keyboard, causing _that_ to make some beeping sounds. Papers were swept from the ink blotter and onto the floor.

"Wait! Shippo! Come back here!" Kagome leapt forward to grab at the little boy but her hand met nothing and her closed fist slammed down on the keyboard, eliciting further beeps.

Shippo darted away, leaping onto the display case and pushing off of it with all four of his limbs. He was quite the little lemur!

Kagome followed pursuit, crashing into the display case, knocking open the glass and causing quite a few of the dangerous weapons (none of them sheathed – why weren't they sheathed!) to fall to the ground. She jumped out of the way, praying to God she didn't get stabbed.

Shippo ran for the door, Kagome racing after him, when he was stopped by a leg like a steel pole. Both contestants of the marathon stopped and gulped.

First, the man's shoes: he was wearing a very nice pair of Italian, leather shoes of a brand unpronounceable to the American tongue. His pants were very nice as well, charcoal grey and pressed with the crease in the front. They ran up to meet a matching suit jacket covering a cobalt blue, collared shirt and yellow tie with tiny blue stripes. The man himself was fairly strange looking – stranger than the tuft-haired guy that followed Mr. Okada around. His hair was silver – not white or grey – and he still appeared somewhat young. His eyes were yellow – no, more of a tawny gold, like a lion's. The skin of his face was unblemished and smooth like he never had to shave, and his hands resting on the doorknob were manicured and neat.

The first thought that entered Kagome's head was: ….

The second: Models should not be let out of their cages!

Kagome cleared her throat and looked around. "Oh, uh, sorry… Shippo kinda wondered in and I… um," her eyes found purchase on the fallen swords. "I'll just pick those up for you…" She bent over and reached for a large sword with a red, rounded handle.

"Do not touch _anything._"

Kagome jumped back, holding her hand behind her. "Sorry!" she apologized. "I didn't mean to-"

"Silence." The man interrupted. His gaze wandered over the destruction of his beautiful display case and desk. When they came back to Kagome, she felt her whole body stiffen in response. His face was so emotionless, as were his eyes, but she could feel his anger rolling off his body in waves. It was like a bad aura filling the room and making her want to run into a corner and cringe.

"You have destroyed my collection."

Kagome mouthed the words before she realized he meant the swords. She glanced back at them, wringing her hands. "I'm so sorry," she began but was interrupted by his swift approach of the desk.

His eyes narrowed as he looked upon the computer screen.

"And you have deleted several of my most important files."

Kagome gasped. That was so much worse than a broken plane of glass!

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to; it was a total accident! What can I do? How can I make up for it?"

His glare halted her speech.

"The files are of no marketable worth. The damage you have inflicted to my swords and my display case are of a much more concerning figure."

"How much can a piece of glass cost?" Kagome blurted out before she could stop herself. Her hands flew to cover her mouth as his eyes narrowed even more.

The man spent a few seconds piercing her with the force of his gaze a little longer before responding. It was creepy how his eyes never once left hers, holding her in place with a fear-like trance. Kagome felt she could understand how people used to think snakes could hypnotize if they learned their lessons from his man.

"I can see from here that several of the larger swords and one of the daitos are injured. The glass alone cost two-thousand for the pane and its fixtures were five hundred each." He paused. "There were six. This is a hefty sum you owe me."

"Five thousand dollars!" Kagome cried.

"Four thousand."

"Four thousand dollars!" Kagome corrected herself. "I can't pay for that- I'm a college student! I need my job at the front desk to pay for my apartment! I don't get any extra for myself, how am I supposed to pay you that?"

The man probably would have shrugged if he seemed like the sort of guy to do stuff like that.

"It will be more than that once I have the swords assessed for damage."

"That doesn't solve my problem."

The man considered her for a moment.

"Perhaps you can pay me in deeds rather than money." Kagome's left eye narrowed in suspicion and she opened her mouth to speak but he continued on, ignoring her. "You say you work at the front desk: then you are basically free at nights. You will assist me while I work late. We will assume you will work for the pay of the amount a beginning assistant is paid and we will determine just how many hours you need to work to pay off your debt. If you are in college, then this should be fairly easy – are your weekends free?"

Kagome nodded.

"Then you will be ready to work then, as well, if I have need for you. Any extra funding you will require for transportation or to cover any initial mistake you make will be taken out of your "pay" and will result in hours added to your owed time. Do you comply?"

Kagome thought for a minute. She tapped her chin. She bit her lip. She sighed and looked out the window into the neon-filled night.

"Do you comply?" the man asked with a bit more edge to his voice.

"Yes!" Kagome jumped. "Yes, okay! But first… um," She looked down at her feet. "What's your name?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Can you not read?" he asked. He gestured to the nameplate on his desk. "It is Takamatsu. I will expect the appropriate courtesy."

Kagome nodded.

---

At 8:53 Kagome Higurashi was indebted. She was not looking forward to the time she was going to be spending working for this man. Miserable hours indeed. He promised to notify her of the total number of hours at his first possible chance. That day had not been a good one.

The only good thing to come of the encounter was a more subdued Shippo. He spent the rest of the evening coloring on a piece of paper from Kagome's precious notebook with a ball point pen. Ayame took him the next morning, before when school would have started had Shippo attended school on a Saturday.

At 6:47, Saturday morning, Kagome sighed at stared up at her ceiling in her bedroom. Life sucked.

Oh shit! How were all these hours going to affect her writing time!

---

A/N: Here's a contest for you all:

Come up with an interesting course for Kagome to be majoring in! Try to make it as original as possible. I already have something in mind, but if somebody comes up with a better one, all the better! (duh)

And if you can find the reference to another popular manga in this chapter then Miroku will bring you pizza in _no_ jeans!

Miroku: I was quite popular in the last chapter wasn't I?

Sesshoumaru: Only because they were not offered this one, fool.

Never mind, folks! I'll send over Sesshoumaru instead, if you want! (Though it's your funeral if you want him.)

Sesshoumaru: … I will kill you now.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Mushrooms on the Floor**

A/N: Ah, just to let all of you know – those of you who aren't aware of some basic Boston things:

Back Bay is a relatively nice part of Boston. It holds Beacon Street, Storrow Drive and Commonwealth Avenue, three very nice streets/neighborhoods that really only the fabulously wealthy can afford. MIT is across a pond from the three parallel roads and the Prudential Shopping Center (a big, famous mall that sells expensive clothes, has a large Barnes and Noble _and_ Cheesecake Factory) is about two streets down from them. There is college-style housing there so it is conceivable that Kagome found affordable housing so near to where rich little Sango Katagiri lives. (I love Sango's surname, by the way. .)

And ignore the addition problems I had in chapter two. If any of you beautiful people even noticed… –

Sango Katagiri considered herself to be a reasonable sort of girl. There was a lot in life she put up with, a lot of people who annoyed her, a lot of problems that could have had better situations had certain people only _thought_ through the entire difficulty…

But this, apparently, was not one of them.

Sango's townhouse on Commonwealth Ave was a nice thing. Bought for her by her late father, lived in by her little brother and her boyfriend, it was really a home. It was made of brick with a wrought iron fence and went up four stories. Four flagstone steps led to the heavy, wooden door some strange color in between blue and purple.

Inside was usually tidy, black and white photos lined hallways and accentuated rooms. The pictures in color were beautiful – some of them in explosive colors that jumped off the page, but most were not. Most were done in soft greys, blues and greens, calling to mind a misty mountain morning in some Asiatic country where men worked in rice fields dug into steppes.

And so, back to the important part of what was happening (Sango):

There were things Sango could put up with, and things she couldn't. One of which happened to be her little brother and his eating habits.

"Arrraagh!"

Sango lifted her foot from the cheesy pizza box she had stepped in. The Persian rug of geometric shapes based mostly in a deep shade of crimson was dotted with the festive grey confetti of week old mushrooms. Papers were strewn about, some with writing, most without, and empty soda cans covered every surface that was not covered with more food items. A lot of them didn't even have coasters.

Okay, make that "mostly empty cans".

Sango's fists curled as the can she accidentally knocked over from its precarious perch on the lid of an antique, porcelain vase fell to the floor, spilling dark cola.

"KOHAKU!"

The effect was immediate. Two pairs of hurried steps thundered down the stairs. The first to arrive was a tall, thin boy with freckles. His puffy hair was pulled back in a short, high ponytail and his cheeks were dotted with freckles, lending the college student a childish air.

He stopped in the doorway, panting.

"What?"

Sango gestured to the room. "I give you the entire living room for your studies and _this_ is how you treat it? What is this? This is disgusting!"

A winsome man appeared behind Kohaku, a smirk on his lips and a twinkle in his purple-blue eyes (that matched the front door). He leaned against the jamb, his arms crossed over his chest, a tight purple tee shirt that strategically emphasized his unique eyes stretched over defined pecs and biceps. His dark hair was pulled back in a small, low ponytail. Baggy charcoal pants hung over bare feet, and Sango couldn't help but give an internal shiver at the ultimate masculinity he exuded, even while she was so angry.

"This is all your fault, Monk," she spat, turning on the newcomer. "You're a bad influence."

"I always clean up after myself," he disagreed, his smile still on his face. "You know that."

Sango scowled. "How is it that everything you say comes out dirty?"

Miroku's lip curled over his eyetooth. Sango blew out her breath in a huff, making her bangs puff up, before she returned her attention to her younger brother.

"Clean this up! I can't believe you're doing this to my house."

"I'm in college and I'm a guy! What do you expect?"

"I expect you to take care of your things! How do you do anything? How do you _find_ anything? Look at my foot! It's covered in cheese! Why are there mushrooms all over the floor? If you don't like them, _why do you order them on your pizza?_"

"If you like, I'll take care of the cheese for you, Sango, dear, or any other foodstuffs you might find covering your body."

"Shut it, Monk!"

"I like the taste they _leave_ on the pizza," Kohaku explained. "But the actual mushroom flavor itself is too strong."

Sango threw her hands up in the air. "This is impossible! You're both disgusting!"

And she hopped down the hall, her cheesy foot in the air behind her. Miroku followed her to the stairs, peering up at her though the railing as she struggled to climb up on one foot.

"Sango, if you like, I will carry you up the steps for I am willing to suffer to be in such beauty as yours, though I would hardly call it suffering to hold your firm, supple-"

"One more word, Monk," Sango growled down at him. "And I will make you eat the mushrooms from the floor."

"Sango, dear…"

"And I won't let you use your mouth."

Miroku's mouth snapped shut and Sango continued her way to her bathroom. Chuckling to himself, Miroku tugged on the golden hoops in his right ear and returned to the living room to help Kohaku clean.

Typically on Saturdays, people who work during the week or go to school (or both) are able to rest and relax without issue. They may take the time to do some food shopping or sleep or eat food. Saturdays are days of rest and enjoyment, freeing the human soul from the difficult tasks of life.

Kagome Higurashi was woken up by her door slamming open and banging against her wall.

Kagome shot up in bed, her arms flailing and tangling in her limbs. She fought them off in her frenzied state of half-asleep and ended up rolling off the bed. Thankfully, her bed was simply a mattress on the floor and she only fell a foot, but still.

Not a happy way to wake up, I (and Kagome) can tell you.

"Disgusting!" screeched the grating voice. "This dwelling his far beneath my master's standards! It's like the home of pigs! Or peasantry!"

Kagome took one corner of her pillow and flung it sideways like a Frisbee at the squat man across the room. A muffled squawk made Kagome smile and drop back to the floor to sleep a bit longer as the short man was felled by her fluffy pillow.

Seconds later, the sheet was ripped away from her poor body.

"Get up, wench!"

This was a moment for weeping, Kagome rued as she clutched her arms around her torso. What a terrible fate, to be attacked by such… a strange man… in her… home?

A strange man was in her home?

A strange man was in her home!

On this beautiful September morning in the Back Bay of Boston city a terrible, feminine scream cut through the eardrums of all within a mile radius.

"Be silent, you loud woman!"

Kagome stood in a fighting position, her feet shoulder length apart, another pillow grasped firmly in her hands. The short man was covered in warts and barely had a nose. He was about four feet tall, total, and wore a disgusting suit of a hideous brown color. And a strange little hat.

"Get out of here, you freak! Get out of my house!" Kagome screamed at him.

"This sty is little more than a hovel, you insolent female!" returned the little man. "It's hardly worthy to be called a house or home to anything than the lowest sort of creature!"

Kagome let lose a growl of rage and flung the pillow at the short man. It slammed him into the wall with its force and he dropped to the floor, his face blank and unconscious.

Just as she was about to smile smugly and do a victory lap around the room, a strange, flirty ringtone came from a pocket in the man's suit.

_What a strange ringtone,_ thought Kagome as she made her way through sheets and pillows to the little guy.

Kagome dug into his pocket and pulled out a sleek black phone. Flipping it open, she put it to her ear but before she could speak…

"Jaken, have you obtained the girl yet? Bring her to the office immediately or there will be repercussions."

And a dial tone.

Kagome looked at the phone in disgust. What- no goodbye? No hello? No is-this-even-Jaken?

She looked down at the ugly creature.

Yup. Definitely a "Jaken". Lordy, what an ugly name.

The voice… that man sounded familiar. What was going o- oh yeah. _That._

Sighing, Kagome's shoulders slumped as she made her way over to the simple wooden drawer against the wall. She pulled out some things and went to the bathroom to get ready to face the day. Whatever was going to happen, she hoped it would pass more quickly because it already felt like she'd been up forever.

A/N: Okay guys, here's the big Q: Would you all prefer longer chapters more spaced out or shorter chapters closer together? I've been writing long chapters (I'm only halfway through the full chapter three, this is like a mini chap) but I can break them up like this if you all want. So let me know.


	4. Chapter 4

A-heh heh heh... Glad I'm back? I'm so sorry this took so long. I know, I suck. But I had some major re-writing to do, it just wasn't coming along and my liberally-altered Kagome had an out-of-character moment so bad that my beta was all, WTFck? And seeing as how much I've kinda changed Kagsy in the first place, I think that's really saying something.

I've decided: Susan is supposed to be Kagura and I was going to put Kagura's name in there somewhere so people know but I decided not to because I like her name as it is, and well, I just wanted to let you know so you all had perspective. I love you, guys.

* * *

Kagome tugged on the sleeves of her blazer as she stood on the sidewalk outside World Axis Management Corp.

The building she was so used to seeing empty and dark was bright and bustling – maybe not as much as on a weekday, but there were definitely people in some of those rooms. Sometimes a face would peer out through the glass, looking down, as if gauging the distance to the sidewalk and the velocity with which they would hit the concrete. They were probably trying to figure out if they'd be able to continue walking (or even limping) away after landing.

Kagome followed the man – Jaken – in through the front doors. A desk attendant she was unfamiliar with waved them through without bothering to check their identification. They got in the elevator and when it pinged to let them know they'd reached the top floor, they stepped out.

People were bustling all around, talking to each other over cubicle walls and speaking in short, terse sentences over the phone. A man shouldered his way past Kagome, near slamming her into the wall. Only the quick thinking of our heroine's very own hands saved her nose from a crushing blow.

"Come along, peasant!"

Kagome rolled her eyes at the beige wall.

"Did you seriously just call me a peasant?" she demanded of the short man walking down the row of cubicles.

"You are of lowly status, wench! You are as unimportant as anyone else!"

This he shouted at the top of his lungs as he waddled, never looking back. A few people glared at him from their desks and one pantomimed wringing his neck.

Kagome followed at a slower pace, not wanting to be associated with such a strange, rude, little man.

"Sit here!" The man pointed to a desk outside of the beautiful, heavy, wooden double doors Kagome recognized as her new boss'.

As she sat down, Kagome wondered if everything the ugly man said ended in the equivalent of an exclamation point.

The desk was standard for an office secretary, she supposed, maybe a bit nicer. Wood like the doors, a computer in the corner, supplies lined orderly, a couch across the way – presumably for any visitors… Oh look! Highlighters! Pretty colors…

"Nice picture," a wry voice commented. "Looks like a neon sign threw up."

Kagome looked up from the drawing of a purple flower replete with pink stem, yellow center and green clouds. "Why, thank you," she said, smiling up at the woman on leaned on her desk. "I'm quite particular to the piece myself, though I will admit it's reminiscent of my earlier works. From time to time I like to dwell in my nostalgia."

The woman laughed. "What nostalgia? Early nineties?"

Kagome cocked her head to the side. "How old do you think I am?" she wondered aloud.

"Twenty… twenty-one, tops." The woman waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "You're no where near as old as I am, at least."

"Thirty-two?"

"I didn't tell you to guess!" the woman reprimanded, her brown eyebrow rising.

Kagome stuck out her right hand. "I'm Kagome."

"Susan Kriffold." The woman returned the gesture. "I'm the senior CIO, in charge of managing technologies and computers. I take it you're the new part-time?"

Kagome nodded.

Susan moved her head back in the sudden manner of one used to having loose hair to flip. Her earrings jangled against her neck, drawing attention to the little stones and delicate metalwork.

"Ooh," Kagome leaned forward on her forearms. "Those are nice earrings."

Susan sat on the edge of the desk and took off one of her earrings. "You like?" she asked, offering it to Kagome.

Kagome inspected it, turning it over in her palm. "Very nice." she said appreciatively. "Bet they cost a fortune."

"You have no idea," Susan nodded, taking back the earring. "But when you make as much money as me, splurging on earrings isn't as bad an idea as it used to be."

The door to the office opened and the squat man, Jaken, reappeared.

"You!" he screeched to Susan, who merely looked bored. "You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago! My master expects efficiency from those he grants employment!"

Susan stood slowly and walked towards the short man. "If Sesshoumaru were that pissed, I'd already be feeling the flames, squirt. Why don't you quit your yapping?"

Jaken sputtered. "Insolent-"

Susan turned back to Kagome and winked. "I'll be out before you know it. I'll talk to you sometime."

"Bye!" Kagome waved cheerfully.

The door closed behind Susan with a thud and a click, leaving Jaken and Kagome to themselves.

Jaken turned, grumbling to himself, swatting at the front of his suit. "What are you looking at?" he squawked at Kagome, causing her to jump in her seat.

* * *

Fifteen minutes (and many additions to the regurgitation of a flower) later, Susan reemerged carrying a large set of files in a cardboard box.

"So this is _your_ fault," she accused, setting the box down on Kagome's desk.

Jaken leapt up at Susan's appearance and hurried into the office, shutting the door behind him. Kagome looked from the box of papers to Susan's face.

"What do you mean?"

Susan flipped her head again, jewelry jangling, as she rested her hands on her hips.

"You broke Sesshoumaru's computer. You know, I'm not his personal techie. My job isn't to just sit around and fix his junk." Susan narrowed her eyes at the girl sitting in front of her. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be stuck re-programming every inch of information he has on file into a hard drive so he has access to all the company's accounts. Not to mention all the stupid personal touches he likes. Special firewalls and codes that make it nigh impossible to log-in without specific DNA samples-"

"He uses DNA samples to log-in?" Kagome asked with bright eyes. "Like he has to prick his finger or something?"

Susan regarded Kagome for a moment before sighing. "No, he just runs the pad of his finger over a scanner built into the computer – it's not that uncommon these days." She sighed again and ruffled Kagome's hair. "I can't stay mad at you, you cutie. And I've only just met you."

"Well, I am adorable," Kagome agreed, beaming. "But you don't really have to do all that programming do you? Will you have to work overtime?"

"Nah," Susan waved. "I'll just dump it on some poor underling. But woe be to him should he fail to fill all of Sesshoumaru's requirements exactly."

And so Susan lifted up her box again and walked away on low-heeled, purposeful shoes. Kagome watched her go, noticing how people moved out of her way from what seemed a healthy dose of fear.

"Wench! My master wishes to see you now! Hurry!"

Kagome groaned as she pushed herself heavily from her desk. Walking past the glaring Jaken, Kagome entered the spacious office, site to the unfortunate events that led to her forced employment and inconvenient debt.

Mr. Takamatsu sat at his desk, not writing or reading or looking out the window, but staring at her. Again, the usual energy Kagome suffered from fled her at the force of his gaze. Those eyes… it was unnerving. Shouldn't they be brown, if he was Japanese? That's what his name suggested, and the exotic slant of his eyes and high cheekbones hinted at Asian ancestry but the coloring of his eyes and hair were off. Not to mention, his build (while by no means bulky) was less thin and more lean.

And she wasn't sure, but she remembered him being sorta tall. Like, definitely hitting over six feet.

Not, of course, that such a height was impossible for an Asian guy to reach, just look at that basketball guy, Yao something…

But then again, maybe he had mixed ancestry. Maybe his mother was of European descent like her mom. It would explain the height and the more aquiline nose and…

Okay, whatever! This wasn't something she should be dwelling on! Who cared if her new employer was Asian, white or alien?

Shaking her head, Kagome focused on Mr. Takamatsu.

"Are you finished?" he drawled.

"Huh?" was her eloquent inquiry.

"I expect you will commit yourself to the work I give you." He didn't move at all. He just sat there. Staring. Kagome waited for him to blink.

"You're fortunate to be awarded such a position – I expect you to treat it thus."

"Wait a minute," Kagome interrupted. "You think this is a reward? Like I should go around thinking this is the best thing to ever happen to me?"

The man remained stoic.

Kagome's hands moved to her hips.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight, guy. This," Kagome gestured to herself, to Mr. Takamatsu, and the surrounding office. "This is not what I want to be doing on a Saturday. I want to be asleep like the sane people do. I don't wanna be here. But!" Kagome raised a finger at his narrowed eyes. "I will do my best.

"I'm not a secretary, Mr. Takamatsu." Kagome lowered her hand and softened her voice. "I'm not so great at typing or remembering things or anything that's going to do me any good once I graduate. But I'm willing to try. I'll do my best. If I mess up, I won't let it stop me – I just won't do it again." ("I hope…" she muttered under her breath.)

Takamatsu raised an eyebrow, and blinked in a way that could only be called "subtle".

"But you gotta recognize that, Mr. Takamatsu. You can't expect me to be A-grade beef when I'm lean chicken."

And with that ridiculous analogy, she ended her speech.

To the complete silence of the room.

Mr. Takamatsu continued to stare at her, his face as unreadable as a piece of lumber. Kagome fidgeted and shifted her weight to one foot. She could swear whole days passed before he spoke.

Kagome jumped at the sound of his voice.

"You will do well to remember who is the one in debt and who is not." Mr. Takamatsu still did not move as he spoke. His voice was as even as his gaze and Kagome was still not sure if he'd blinked yet. "By the mere fact you are still in possession of a job in this company and are permitted the chance to work off your debt – rather than my suing you for wanton destruction and preach of personal conduct contracts – shows my infinite generosity."

The words were correct (technically) but the tone irked.

"I won't be like that Jaken guy," Kagome warned. "He's a freaky little fellow, and I refuse."

Mr. Takamatsu blinked slowly and deliberately. "That would be a relief, Ms Higurashi, not a disappointment."

Kagome had to think that one over before she understood.

Fighting back a smile, she clasped her palms together in front of her and gave a small bow with her head.

"What can I do for you today, Mr. Takamatsu?"

* * *

I know, and I was going to write insanely large chapters but, again, I suck. I hope you enjoyed it, if not, let me know so I can fix it. Seriously. I want teh feedback, good or bad or bored.

Much love.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back again!!! Yay! Here's the new chapter:**

* * *

Apparently her job consisted of the most mundane tasks imaginable. It was an entire day of making copies, typing up emails and memos – sending copies of these emails and memos to Susan for filing in Mr. Takamatsu's super-computer – and listening to Jaken's squawking orders. She also fetched files and folders.

"_Ms Higurashi, I will need the MacInbury file from room 1213, now._"

Kagome sighed and hit the intercom button. "Of course, Mr. Takamatsu. Yes, Mr. Takamatsu. Right away, Mr. Takamatsu."

She stood was a few feet from the desk when her boss' belated response came through.

"_As reassuring as your assertions were, Ms Higurashi, they were unnecessary_."

* * *

Kagome lazily followed the hallway on the twelfth floor as she halfheartedly searched for room 1213. She'd already been working for three hours straight and was ready for a break.

Not to mention she'd been rudely woken so goddamn early.

It was strange that this building was as busy as it was on a Saturday. In fact, now that she thought about it, the activity was bothering her. Why?

"Do you want me to break your fingers? Will that make you type the code in better? No? Then do your job _correctly_, you retarded SOB."

Ah, Kagome sighed – the lovely voice of someone familiar.

Just as Kagome reached the room she'd heard the abrasive instructions from, Susan stepped out, not missing a beat as she brusquely greeted Kagome.

"Hey, Ms. Kriffold," Kagome returned as she stepped into pace with the woman. Her eyes looked a little red and her brown hair was starting to fly away from the wavy bun on top of her head.

"It's Susan," she corrected the girl.

"Right," Kagome nodded, not really feeling comfortable actually addressing the older woman as such. "Can I ask why this place's so busy on a Saturday?"

Susan shrugged. "Go for it."

Kagome clasped her hands in front of her and imitated a schoolgirl's voice. "Why's this place so busy on a Saturday, Ms Kriffold?"

The corner of Susan's mouth lifted just the tiniest fraction as she replied. "We're having a merger finalized this week. Life's hectic whenever that happens in any company. This just happens to be a somewhat major corporation."

Kagome's brow furrowed. "But aren't mergers bad? Don't people jobs and stuff?"

Susan snorted. "Yeah, they do. But that only happens in the company that's being taken over – though that technically doesn't happen, at least not at the surface level." She glanced over at Kagome, a smirk on her face. "But did you really think _we_ were the losing company?"

Kagome shrugged.

"I don't know anything about this company," she answered honestly. "Up until this morning I just sat at the lobby desk for a few hours a couple of nights a week. You guys could be dealing crack for all I know."

A man they passed lifted his head out of his cubicle and looked eagerly at the passing women. "Crack?" he asked brightly. "Dealing? You wouldn't happen to have any meth, would you?"

"Shut up, Jonathon." Susan didn't even look to the man as she scolded him. "If we sell you anymore, we'll have to send you to the hospital on overdose and then we'd lose an employee we _need._"

Kagome couldn't be sure (but it made her smile anyway) as she thought she heard the man Jonathon mutter darkly as he sat back down: "Right now, overdose seems like a blessing compared to this."

"So," Susan began again, snapping Kagome back to the conversation they'd been having before. "This company started out advising other companies in investments but it mostly deals with gaining assets of other companies. We could be a lot bigger and stronger if Sesshoumaru would get off his ass and go in for the kill, but he considers it _unnecessary-_" Susan sneered as she said this last word, her disdain evident. "-and says he can't be bothered. In addition to that, we're an NGO and an MNC with offices in Tokyo and New York."

"Wait," Kagome shook her head. "The abbreviations?"

"NGO is non-governmental organization and is self explanatory," Susan explained. "MNC is Multi-national Corporation and that means we have offices in more than one country with production and/or something something." She waved off the end of the definition nonchalantly and Kagome didn't care enough to press.

"If Mr. Takamatsu has offices in Tokyo and New York, shouldn't he be there?" Kagome asked. "New York seems like more of a hub than Boston."

"He doesn't like the smell."

"Oh."

Kagome walked on, thinking to herself about the company. So it was doing well then? That was good. At least she was likely to keep her job. And if Mr. Takamatsu wasn't about to go gallivanting around the world while she worked for him, all the better! She had work to do, goddamn it!

"Oh crap!" Kagome exclaimed under her breath, looking around. "Where are we? Where's room 1213?"

Susan was about to answer when a dark head with piercing blue eyes stuck itself out a door.

"Is that the dulcet tones of my fair Kagome, I hear?"

"Mr. Okada…" Kagome laughed nervously, surreptitiously looking around for an exit. "How are you… I'm a little busy at the moment…"

"Why, my dear," Mr. Okada admonished, swooping down to grab Kagome's hand and managing to make it look graceful. "It seems you were looking for me, for you see-" he gestured to the office he had just left. "- the room you are looking for is mine."

Sure enough, the plate that said Kouga Okada also read the number _1213_.

"Heh heh heh…" Kagome couldn't help feeling cheated. Curse you, Fate!

"What's this?" Susan demanded, her arms crossed in front of her. "Kouga, if you don't let her go _now_, you will be in a shitload of trouble."

"I'm not afraid of you," Kouga snorted. "Blow wind all you want, bitch, I like the breeze."

Kagome gasped, shocked at language she'd never heard from the "charming" man in front of her. And he was still holding her hand!

Susan imitated Kouga's snort, still managing to sound somewhat feminine. "It's not me you'll have to worry about, you idiot – it's Sesshoumaru. You think he'll let you touch her? She's his."

"Wha-!" Kagome was about to protest when she was snatched forward and drawn into a bone-crushing hug from Kouga.

"I don't smell him on her!" he snarled.

"Wh-?"

"Of course not – he just got her today!"

"Hey!"

"I saw her first! I've been talking to her for weeks! He can't just step in and _take_ her!"

"Now, just a-!"

"He can do whatever he wants. He's the fucking leader."

Kouga made a fist in Susan's smirking face. "He's not _my_ leader!"

"He's your _boss_, runt." (Susan looked inordinately pleased with dispersing this information.) "It doesn't matter if he's leader of your mangy pack or not – he can fire you."

A noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl emanated from Kouga's throat as he stepped forward once again, both fists clenched at his sides.

"That son-of-a-bitch doesn't have _my_ respect. _I_'m leader of _my_ people and he can't tell me what to do! You can barely even consider him to be the same _species_ as-"

Susan held up a single finger and cocked her head to the side. "Nuh, uh, uh uh… Are we forgetting about a certain female present?"

Color drained from Kouga's face as Susan's words took affect. He spun around to look at the woman he had been holding in his arms only moments ago.

"Ah," Susan said in a half-hearted attempt at surprise. "It looks like she left a while ago."

Kouga growled again, his hands flexing near his thighs. Susan flipped her head as she sauntered away, her hips swaying confidently from side to side.

"You're lucky she did, because if she'd been around to hear the things you were saying, Sesshoumaru would kill you."

* * *

Kagome panted as she rested her hands on the edge of her desk.

Dear Lord, what was that?

She'd left before the end – as soon as Kouga had let her go. She was pretty sure Susan had been goading Kouga on purpose so she could get away but with that woman it was hard to tell. She seemed like a real free spirit. She was the only person Kagome had met so far who wasn't in complete awe of Mr. Takamatsu. (Except for Kou- Mr. Okada. But then, he just seemed like he didn't get a lot of things in general.)

Kagome groaned as she realized she was still in possession of the MacInbury file that still needed to be handed in to Kou- Mr. Okada.

She glared at the accordion envelope filled with papers. "This is all your fault," she told it.

Kagome swore it tried an innocent pout but she was not fooled. She flipped it over so it could not look at her. (All the while wondering if accordion envelopes actually had eyes in real life and not her delusional daydreams – _where would they be?_)

It was few minutes later when a hapless intern walked by that inspiration struck.

"Hey you!" she called, leaping from her seat and around her desk, making sure to grab that seductress of an envelope as well. The intern stopped and looked back at Kagome curiously.

"Take this to Mr. Okada in room 1213," she instructed. "It's very important, from Mr. Takamatsu. Now."

The intern nodded and scurried off.

Ha ha, Kagome thought triumphantly. I win, you evil envelope! No more embarrassing situations for me today!

* * *

Suikotsu couldn't keep the smirk from his face as he ran his fingers down the polished metal of the magnificent sword. It had taken him much too long to track down this sword – to have finally gained enough evidence that proved its existence in more than mere fables and then to finally locate it. It was wonderful and frightening and he got such a lovely chill in his spine when thought about what he would do with it and its twin when the time finally came. 

While the sword was indeed beautiful and well-cared for, there was more to it than just a fine piece of metalwork. The steel was tempered with the pure blue streaks of quality and a deadly edge that never needed to be sharpened. The hilt was red and rounded at the end, bound in dyed leather and plain. This was a sword that didn't need an ostentatious presentation to awe – one could simply _feel_ its power radiate off in waves.

The last man who had been holding this sword was severely incapacitated, nearly dead, and in such a coma-like state that he was unlikely to awaken any time soon. Suikotsu had done that to him, even while the man had the sword – such was the power of Suikotsu and his legion of demon lackeys – but it wasn't until the lesser-skilled man was disarmed of the powerful sword that Suikotsu overcame him.

And it was mere fortune for Suikotsu that the man had been so poorly trained. The next man who held the other sword was not. That man was a powerful swordsman who would not take mercy or pity on Suikotsu in the final confrontation.

Suikotsu scowled as he lifted the heavy sword with both hands. He would need to train with this sword before he confronted its brother, but once he did… once he did, he would have both swords and a stronger man would never exist.

Suikotsu could feel the sword purr underneath his hands.

_Yes, Tetsusaiga,_ he soothed it as he called it by name. _We will soon conquer your brother sword.

* * *

_

**So exciting, I know. Who were you expecting to be the bad guy (if you were even suspecting one at all?) Naraku? Please. I am sooo much more creative than that. (Which is why I write fanfiction instead of my own original stuff... aheh heh heh...)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! I'm back and this chapter is nice and long, partly because I feel bad for being away for so long and partly because the beginning is a lot of exposition and I wanted to get some fun stuff in there for you too.**

**I hope you enjoy and review!**

* * *

Sesshoumaru Takamatsu woke in the middle of night to a curious feeling.

It felt like the room was _humming_, or maybe the air itself.

Sesshoumaru rose from his bed and walked across the richly adorned floors of his home, in the wealthy suburb of Weston, to a glass cabinet, similar to the one recently destroyed in his office. Swords of all shapes and sizes, but mostly of Japanese make, filled it, artistically displayed. Aesthetically, there was no _true_ rhyme or reason to it, but one sword among the bunch called to Sesshoumaru's blood. It called out daily to be used, to hunt.

In Sesshoumaru's youth, after his father's death and before his arrival in America to build a business, he had roamed the Japanese countryside. He had been a terror – answering to no one and destroying all who blocked his path. Fools who would challenge him met their demises with looks of terror, but alas, he had no formal weapons. His father's sword, bequeathed to him without its proper brother, was practically useless to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru's father, having suffered the cold disdain of his son for Certain Actions That Are Never To Be Named, knew he must give his eldest son one of his magnificent swords – if only because Sesshoumaru's half-brother and product of Certain Actions That Are Never To Be Named was not powerful enough in his own right to have both. Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, it was through these Certain Actions that his father developed a sense of compassion for human life, rather than the merciless killings he had likewise performed beforehand.

So it was that the father of Sesshoumaru placed a powerful and ironic curse on the magnificent sword: a spell that only allowed one to cut flesh with it when the person wielding it had compassion for human life. There could be no merciless killings with this sword, no leisurely deaths. (As it is with magic and twins, the spell happened to leak into its brother blade, but fortunately for Sesshoumaru's younger half-brother who inherited it, he was compassionate.)

Thus Sesshoumaru, angered beyond all comprehension, and burning with righteous indignation: tried to kill his infant half-brother.

To his everlasting embarrassment, he had drawn the sword, intending to stab the child even if the edge could not slice. But when he stood over the crying child, its mother lying on the ground nearby, unconscious from a blow to the head, the blade refused to pierce the boy's skin in any way. It halted an inch above his flesh and no matter how much of his incredible strength Sesshoumaru threw behind the thrust; it would not move any closer.

Furious that his sword was impotent, Sesshoumaru left the babe, declaring that if he could not kill the boy with his father's sword, it wasn't worth the effort.

He hailed to a demon sword-maker, the very one who had crafted the twin swords of his father. The demon had the appearance of an aging, male human and lived in a smithy on a high mountain in northern Japan protected by wards and spells to keep humans from entering. Sesshoumaru demanded the curse be lifted from the sword but the old, man-like creature had shook his head and declared it couldn't be done. He said the spell was too powerful and not his in the first place. He demanded that Sesshoumaru leave and refused to give into his threats or demands.

Normally, Sesshoumaru would leave after decapitating the demon with his sword (for the curse was against human flesh – not demon) but the somewhat unsubtle gestures the sword-maker's apprentice had been making behind the old demon's back had piqued his curiosity. When Sesshoumaru was able to speak with the demon apprentice alone, the shifty-eyed demon offered to make him a demon sword – as deadly as they come. Sesshoumaru agreed and the sword was made.

Unfortunately, the sword's demonic power was something that needed to be conquered and only a strong will could accomplish that. The apprentice's will was weak and he succumbed to its lustful demands for blood, death and wanton destruction. Sesshoumaru had returned on the day agreed for the finish of the blade only to find the apprentice had murdered his master and was petting the sharp blade in the corner of the shop, his fingers cutting on its edge.

Sesshoumaru had been disgusted by the demon's lack of control and would have slain him anyway even if he hadn't attacked without cause.

With the demon's body twitching in pieces and blood slowly crawling across the floor, Sesshoumaru bent down, picked up the demon blade, and in a matter of minutes, conquered the raging sword's aura. Such was the strength of will of the warrior, Sesshoumaru. He continued traveling the Japanese countryside for years, burning the fires of his youth with thoughtless actions and an icy demeanor. It wasn't until he had finally matured into adulthood that he calmed and killed only when the need to defend himself arose. After a few incidents that are better left discussed another time, he made the decision to leave his homeland and come to America to begin his business and live his life peacefully.

Sesshoumaru had named this sword Tokijin and practiced with it every day. He spent hours in the dojo he'd had built in his house, reminiscent of his Japanese homeland, going through the motions of various sword dances and practice sequences.

However, it was not this sword – not that bloodthirsty, violent creation of hell that was the most important piece in Sesshoumaru's collection. Tokijin was powerful, yes, but if he lost it, it would not be a great loss for he could win any fight. For all its demonic birth and power, it was still but a sword.

His father's sword, however… that was another matter all together.

The sword was smaller and more delicate than Tokijin, with more of a curve to its blade that the ramrod straight steel of the demonic weapon. It was beautiful and deadly, but without the blunt and rather crude destruction of Tokijin. Rather, it was artful in its decimations, bringing victory without the hollow feeling Tokijin often left behind. Its hilt was plain and bound in yellow leather with a rounded end to prevent the hand from slipping off in the heat of battle.

(Not that Sesshoumaru ever lost his grip. He was a creature of control, someone who prized his ability to allow nothing to slip, to make no mistakes. Hence, he wore a mask of disinterest the stoic attitude and allowed nothing to crack his veneer. Emotion was weakness and there was no reason to allow enemies to engage so easy a target as one who wore his heart in his sleeve. It wasn't a matter of being callous, really, but of being a survivor – being the one who hunts rather than flees.)

Tonight, however, it wasn't the hellish blade that made the air hum and Sesshoumaru's hackles rise on end, but Tenseiga, his father's sword. It was disturbed in a way Sesshoumaru hadn't recognized in a long, long time.

The last time Tenseiga had wept like this, his father had died.

* * *

Sesshoumaru entered his office the next morning just as the sun was rising. Golds and reds spread across the polished wood of his desk and the design of the rug. The newly repaired display case shone brightly in the morning sun.

He crossed the room in the same graceful yet purposeful stride he had always had and tapped in the ten-number code before pressing his thumb to the recognition pad. The security system beeped and he was able to open the glass doors to place inside his father's Tenseiga and his demon sword Tokijin. When he closed the doors, not only could he hear the sound of the alarm system restarting, but he could feel the brush of their magics as the security spells fell into place.

Sesshoumaru was a cautious person and despite having not killed a single creature – human, animal or demon – in many, many years, he always kept on alert. Dropping his guard would take an act of a god, especially after the violent life he had lead.

A faint scent caught his nose as he turned back to his desk and he paused. Unable to catalogue it from the momentary whiff he had gotten, he took in a deeper breath.

Hundreds of smells poured into his nostrils. He could smell the polish the cleaners had used on his desk, the leather from the swords' hilts, the leather of his shoes and the detergent on his clothes. He could smell Jaken, his manservant, who he had been in the presence of only moments before and who was in his office a good bit of the day. (Unfortunately.) He had thankfully left to go fetch the girl who was supposed to be acting as his secretary.

But the scent he had been searching for was one he was unused to smelling and it threw him off just a bit. For you see, humans had an annoying tendency to cover themselves with perfumes and colognes, flowered shampoos and scented soaps. Not only that, but Sesshoumaru's disgust with the general population of slobbering, ill-mannered, poorly-behaved human race turned even their natural scents into something terrible. There had been only one exception before and now… if he wasn't just imagining things… it seemed as if there were two.

He couldn't put a face to the scent right away, but he could tell it was a female. She was somewhat young (especially so, compared to him) and except for the faint odor of blandly-scented soap and shampoo, it was entirely her natural scent.

And what a scent it was. Pure. That was the only way to describe it. The person who had this scent had a pure soul – one without any terrible hatred or greed or any taint at all. Sesshoumaru had only encountered one such person before in his life and she had been only a little girl. Who could imagine that such a person could age as much as this person had and not have lost even a little of her purity?

All humans were base creatures, Sesshoumaru had discovered early on, and the stench of their vices was terrible, oftentimes no different than a demon's. Now, obviously, a demon's very nature was more given to acts of depravity and evil so it's true it would have been even rarer to find a demon with a pure soul but even finding a human with one was surprising.

A truly pure soul, like this girl's, was different. Most of the time when people live, they suffer through traumas and hardships. These things harden a person or cause them to change in some other way. Born – everything is pure – but as life goes on and things happen, the purity slips. This doesn't mean everyone turns into creatures of darkness or anything; it's just a fact of life. There were some people with scents Sesshoumaru found acceptable, but he never enjoyed smelling them like he did the pure soul.

But someone born with this kind of pure soul could go through these hardships and suffer and feel pain and never lose their purity. It wasn't even a question of sexual purity, because the only way that affected a person's scent only lasted for a couple of weeks at the most.

That's not to say pure people are perfect. They can have failings; they just aren't destroyed by them, like so many of those martyrs out there.

Sesshoumaru inhaled again and wondered who it could be. He followed the smell back to his door, sniffing lightly to make sure it was getting stronger. Opening them, he realized the scent filled the anteroom to his office, but mostly it was concentrated on the desk there.

Oh no. That girl? That destructive beast of a girl was pure? What did she even look like again?

Japanese, he realized with a minute amount of approval. Or at least partly. Her eyes (if he remembered correctly) had been blue, not brown. He didn't remember much else because it hadn't been necessary to take notice. Why would he care for some young female, barely out of high school?

Sesshoumaru was filled with sudden disgust for himself. How had he not noticed this before? True, living in a city required a sort of… filtering to be employed to keep out some of the more pungent smells so he didn't completely collapse, but he hadn't realized just how much he was filtering out. What if she had been a danger?

Especially now with Tenseiga still mourning, he would have to stay on top of things.

Even if that meant having to smell Jaken more.

* * *

"WAKE UP!"

Kagome groaned into her pillow.

"What are you?" Kagome demanded. "My new, _annoyingly loud_ alarm clock?"

"I am no one's alarm clock!" Jaken screeched at the top of his lungs. "And you will be late! My lord has been in his office for forty-five minutes now and demands your presence! Who are you to keep him waiting?"

Kagome pushed herself onto her forearms and slowly turned to glare at the toady man next to her mattress. He gulped audibly at the look on her face.

"Do you know," Kagome spoke in a low voice. "That you end every sentence that isn't a question in an exclamation point?" The toad-man just continued to stare at her. "And did you know that it is very annoying?"

When Kagome didn't continue, Jaken opened and shut his mouth a few times, trying to work his throat.

"You, you," he stuttered, trying to build back up his bravado. A determined look came over his face and he suddenly straightened as if someone had replaced his spine with a pole.

"You should not speak that way to me! I am my lord's most trusted follower! You are nothing but scum of the earth, not worthy to adorn his shoe!"

Kagome rolled her eyes and got out of bed. "Whatever," she muttered. "It's not like he's even really your lord. He just a man. There's not even lords and stuff in America anyway. Go back to medieval England."

Jaken huffed as Kagome walked to the bathroom.

"I am _not_ from England! I am from Japan!"

"So am I," Kagome threw back over her shoulder before slamming the door behind her.

"It is obvious you have never touched the soil of Japan in your life!" Jaken seemed to disagree. "Maybe your ancestors were Japanese but you are not worthy to claim the same!"

"Maybe you're right!" Kagome shouted through the door and around her toothbrush. "I'll just go with what my mom is: French Canadian. Am I worthy of claiming _that_ soil?"

She spat into the sink and walked back into her bedroom.

"Now get out, munchkin," Immediately regretting the word as she jerked her thumb to the bedroom door. Stupid conscience… "I need to change."

"How dare you!" Jaken sputtered once more. Oh no… he didn't just look angry. Was it Just Kagome or did he look kinda hurt as well?

Kagome scratched the back of her neck and looked at the floor sheepishly.

"Yeah," she demurred. "You're right. That was uncalled for."

She couldn't even look him in the eye! God, she was such a softie! This guy was a total jerk, waking her up in the morning in the rudest way possible, screeching at her, insulting her, and she felt bad for calling him "munchkin". It wasn't even that bad a name and the guy probably had some genetic defect he couldn't help and made him feel self-conscious which lead to his rude behavior.

Oh wow. Now she felt worse. This guy probably spent his whole life hearing stupid comments like that and even though hers had been off-hand and not really biting, it probably still hurt. He probably just wanted people to accept him for who he was, rather than pick on his size.

"I'm sorry," Kagome apologized sincerely. "I shouldn't have said it; it was wrong."

Jaken glared at her suspiciously but she didn't seen. She could feel his disapproval coming off him in waves, though and it made her feel worse.

"Would you like something to eat?" she offered, eyes still on her toes. "I've got orange juice and bagels and cream cheese. You could eat while I get dressed."

Jaken sniffed and looked away. Kagome looked up at him.

"I don't need your food, girl" he said.

"Okay," Kagome shrugged, not knowing what to do. "Well… if you change your mind while I'm getting ready, just go for it. It's no problem. Really."

Jaken left as Kagome went to her closet.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, when Kagome had finished dressing and pulling back her hair, she walked into the kitchen area.

Jaken was standing by the door, ready to go and looking as ornery as ever. He made the same disparaging comments about the time and her clothes and her unworthiness to work for his wonderful and perfect master that Kagome was coming to realize would be regular.

But she noticed. Oh yes she did. She saw those little crumbs sprinkled on his shirt front and she noticed the knife covered with cream cheese in the sink.

Maybe she wouldn't be best friends with Jaken, but she could try to at least not be enemies.

* * *

**Jaken would so do that, the little brat. Review, please! **

**Also, if anyone would like to be added to my personal emailing list for updates, just let me know and leave your address. I guess this is for folks who don't have an account sine there's an author or fic update button down by the review button (non-subtle hint :) but I promise not to abuse your address in any way or send you long personal emails detailing my long boring days, etc etc. **

**I am also on A Single Spark with the same fic title and the pseudonym AnitaGrace.**


	7. Chapter 7

**An early update for ya'll!**

* * *

Sesshoumaru noticed the minute she entered the anteroom. It was her scent as it flowed under the door and permeated his office. Now that he was allowing himself to smell everything he realized just how strong it was. It seemed to completely knock out all the other smells – the stench of over-perfumed humans attempting to cover up body odor, the smell of Jaken, etc.

He also could hear her politely asking Jaken how his morning had been so far and Jaken's terse and borderline insulting reply. Despite the somewhat discouraging answer, she continued to persist in making polite small talk, a feat Sesshoumaru was sure no one had ever attempted past the first five minutes of meeting Jaken.

When the girl knocked on his door, he called for her to enter and leaned forward in his seat.

She gave her greeting and patiently waited for his instructions. (It was obvious she learned fast.)

Sesshoumaru was not surprised to find himself somewhat eager to actually look at the girl. He was curious to see what a grown woman with such a pure soul actually looked like, and his curiosity was always a trait that had gotten him into trouble.

She was very pretty. Not beautiful, because that had an elegant feel to it, but she was attractive. Her eyes were indeed blue and round, belying some sort of recent European ancestor, but her skin was a pale, smooth olive like those of his homeland. Her name… her name was Higurashi so she was definitely Japanese on her father's side, a thought that made him proud. The little girl he had encountered who had also been of like soul as Higurashi was Japanese and despite his claim to have no attachment to anything, it caused him to feel a little smug, if not proud.

But she was young. Very early twenties, definitely. She had said she was in college? Her body was mature with hips and breasts, but her eyes seemed so wide and young, probably a result of her innocence. She's probably never suffered anything worse than a bad grade in middle school, or maybe a rough breakup with a boyfriend.

Definitely not like anything he'd seen (or caused) in his lifetime of pain and inflicting it.

He leaned back in his chair, satisfied he would always be able to recognize her by sight if not smell.

* * *

Kagome entered the office and greeted Mr. Takamatsu but he didn't respond right away. Instead, he stared at her, hard, looking at her but not really. She could feel his gaze move all over her body, but it felt more like a scanner committing her to memory than if he were checking her out. 

She shivered. It was an intense feeling, like he was scrutinizing her under a microscope. She tried not to move at all, but when he remained silent she decided to look him back over.

Damn, but he was actually really good-looking. He didn't look much older than her but he acted old, like he'd been around for forever. His eyes were golden and sharp. The few times she'd seen them, they been filled with anger, mild interest and complete boredom. The man didn't seem to have a broad range of emotions in his eyes – even less so on his face. She had no clue what he was thinking and hadn't since those first few minutes when he'd been angry. She'd gotten the feeling he had even been somewhat disgusted by her.

But not now, definitely not now. Something made him very curious about her, she suspected, especially when he gestured to the chair in front of his desk.

She sat down warily, half expecting him to change his mind about the invitation.

Sesshoumaru watched her creep up to the chair and sit down slowly. She was watching him like a mouse watched a cat and he found that he was amused. Well, yes, normally he was amused when he found that people were wary or fearful of him, but this amused him in a different way. Like something was funny.

Of course, none of this showed on his face, so she had no clue what he was thinking.

"I heard you speaking with Jaken," he said. Higurashi jumped a little. Sesshoumaru allowed some of his mirth to show in his eyes and he saw her relax somewhat. Turning his attention to a pile of paper on his desk, he used one hand to spread them out in a fan as if this conversation weren't really worth any of his time and he had more important things to do.

"How very interesting you would persist in conversing with him when most others would have given up." Sesshoumaru looked back at her, his amusement gone and his blank face in place.

Kagome shifted her weight, her hands clasped between her thighs. "Well… I did say something rather mean to him earlier…"

Really? She did? What could she have said – now his curiosity really was piqued.

Mr. Takamatsu raised both his eyebrows in an astonishing show of emotion. "And what did you say?" he wanted to know.

Kagome looked away and muttered, "I called him a "munchkin"…"

"Really?"

Mr. Takamatsu sounded so surprised that Kagome had to look back up. He was studying her with an unreadable expression. His eyes looked right into hers, looking at her for the person she was, somehow different than the way he had been looking earlier.

Kagome couldn't look away. Her eyes felt like they were caught on his, like someone had hooked her gaze to his and there was an invisible string that connected them.

Sesshoumaru stared into this girl's eyes. She felt bad for that? It was hardly an insult; was that the best she could come up with? Jaken heard and said much worse and was most likely disrespecting this girl to the highest point, feeling no remorse all along, and she felt bad for calling him a munchkin?

Who was she…?

Sesshoumaru caught himself suddenly and looked back at his desk. Briskly gathering up the papers he had previously spread around, he dismissed her.

"You may go now. Bring the blue-marked files on your desk to room 1213 and follow the instructions written out for you on the yellow-marked folders. Do not get them mixed up."

He waited until the door closed behind her before he allowed his shoulder muscles to relax. This girl was definitely a curiosity.

Damn.

* * *

Kagome was glad Mr. Takamatsu hadn't looked back at her after the whole eye-gazing thing. That had been embarrassing enough once she realized what was happening but her face turning bright red immediately afterwards and worse! 

_I mean, who even blushes anymore?_ Kagome thought as she sat down at her desk. Studiously ignoring the blue-marked files until another hapless intern returned, she opened up the others and read the instructions. Tedious work involving highlighting specific words and terms. She peeled the post-it off the top of the folder papers and put it next to them so she could see all the terms as she went through.

Periodically highlighting, Kagome returned to thinking about the Eye Incident.

She wondered if he had been feeling the same… frisson.

Whatever. She shook her head and concentrated on her work.

* * *

"Oh, thank god!" Kagome exclaimed, jumping up from the desk. The poor intern who had just passed by (the same one from before) jerked in surprise and looked ready to head for the hills as Kagome grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back to her desk. 

"Here," she said, handing him the blue-marked files. "Take these to Mr. Okada in 1213, will ya?"

The intern, having recovered from his scare, slowly took the files and glared at Kagome suspiciously. "Why aren't you taking these to him?" he demanded.

Kagome sputtered. "Well, because, I- I –_I don't have to tell you._ Just-" she waved her hand imperiously. "- take them."

Oh dear lord, she hoped she sounded in charge enough for him to obey her. Somehow it didn't look as if the intern was fooled but he seemed willing to do what she asked anyway.

The intern rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he muttered as he walked away.

"However much you refused to tell that boy why you refused to transport the files, _I_ would like to know."

Kagome whirled around in surprise to find Mr. Takamatsu standing in the doorway of his office. When Kagome simply stared at him in shock, he continued.

"What if those file were important? Or secret?" Mr. Takamatsu began stalking towards Kagome like a hunter stalking his prey. "What if that boy were a spy from another corporation and you were inadvertently handing him information that was pertinent to the survival of this company?"

Kagome backed up as she held her hands out behind her. They thumped the edge of the desk only moments before her bottom did but Mr. Takamatsu kept walking forward.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Takamatsu," she sputtered. (Again.) "I didn't mean to – I'm sure he isn't –I just didn't want to…"

Mr. Takamatsu stopped only a foot and a half away from Kagome, obviously using his height to intimidate her. Kagome had a few significant thoughts in the seconds before he spoke once more. The first being: Wasn't this kinda, almost sexual harassment? Maybe? Not really? He wasn't touching her.

The second: He was really tall. Like, six foot three tall. Her head only came up to about his shoulder.

The third significant thought was: why was she so scared? He wasn't frowning at her, he was making fists or yelling. Yes, there was that quiet disapproval in his voice, and he had kinda stalked up to her, but really. That's not so bad.

However, something was sending little warning bells off in her head. She could feel her body's tension and couldn't get it to calm down.

Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl in front of him. She was obviously terrified (a reaction he faced most frequently) but there was no real reason for it. Sometimes, he found, people would be instinctively afraid of him, as if there was a fear encoded in their DNA to protect them from predators such as him.

Sesshoumaru took the moment to look the girl over once more. She didn't really dress to impress with a too large blazer and wide cut pants, but they really only seemed to encourage onlookers to return to her face which was really her best feature. Open and expressive, it was almost… fascinating to talk to her because everything she thought seemed to come out in her visage.

Kagome blinked. What was that? What was that sort of 'look up, look down' thing Mr. Takamatsu had been doing? Had he…

Had he just been checking her out?

No. No way. He wouldn't do that.

Kagome focused back on Mr. Takamatsu's face to find him staring intently into her eyes. Her stomach lurched and she felt her eyes widen considerably.

"What?" she demanded without thinking.

Mr. Takamatsu raised one eyebrow but said nothing. Standing up straighter (if such a thing were even possible) he took a step back and regarded Kagome like an emperor in his throne.

"Explain why you _can't_ take files to room 1213."

His voice was strong but quiet, offering danger but not actually threatening. Kagome felt shivers race up her spine.

"Well, see…" Kagome had no idea what to say. She didn't want to get Kouga in trouble – _Mr. Okada!_ – but she really didn't want to maybe get stuck alone in his office with him. She was so lucky Susan had been there the last time or she might have seriously been stuck fending Mr. Okada off forever.

"I kinda…"

"Kagome!"

Both Kagome and Sesshoumaru whirled around to face the interruption that just walked into the anteroom. One reaction was a suppressed slap to her own face and the other was a minute deepening of a frown.

"What is your business with my secretary, Okada?" Sesshoumaru asked. The wolfish fellow was a pain in his side, constantly cheerful and without a cell of self-preservation in his brain. It was only at the insistence of Susan Kriffold that Kouga Okada was of any actual _use_ to his corporation that Sesshoumaru kept him on.

_Oh great_, Kagome groaned internally. _The actual_ reason_ why I don't want to deliver those files._

"I'm here to see my Kagome!" Kouga cheerfully announced as he practically bounded over to Kagome's side and grinned down at her.

Kagome turned to Mr. Takamatsu and looked up at him with pleading eyes, praying that he understood her consternation.

Something in Sesshoumaru's brain clicked as he looked down into the stormy-blue eyes of the girl in front of him and he looked back up at Okada, his eyes narrowing.

The fool, of course, completely missed the threatening gaze. Instead, he was practically panting all over the poor female in question, who stood stiffly as if only just able to keep from taking many steps back.

"I believe," Sesshoumaru drawled. "That _my_ secretary has business to attend to and I happen to know for a fact that you do as well, seeing as how I've _just_ had an important set of files sent to your office for review."

Kouga snorted. "I'll get to them when I get to them, Takamatsu. Ain't no big deal. Life will go on."

Sesshoumaru heard the girl gasp at Kouga's rudeness, only serving to further his own anger.

"Others' lives might go on," he spoke in a low voice. "But if you continue in your disrespect, your own might not."

Kagome blinked. Had Mr. Takamatsu actually just threatened one of his employees? Wasn't that bad?

Kouga grabbed Kagome around the shoulders and tucked her into his body. "I can talk to _my_ Kagome if I want to, Takamatsu," Kouga declared flippantly. "It's not like anyone else's touched her."

A strong hand with surprisingly long nails gripped Kagome's upper arm and pulled her away from Mr. Okada's grasp. She was pushed behind Mr. Takamatsu so quickly that she hardly had time to register what had happened. Blinking at his back, she found she couldn't see anything else.

Sesshoumaru lifted the corners of his upper lip as he stood off against Kouga. He made sure the points of his canine teeth were shown off the entire time he spoke.

"You will respect that which does not belong to you, _Okada_," Sesshoumaru practically spat the name.

Kagome shivers increased into full-fledged shudders at the obvious anger and threat in Mr. Takamatsu's voice. She'd never liked it when people got angry, but she'd never been so afraid like this, either.

Kouga gave what sounded like a snarl. "She ain't claimed, Takamatsu. I can do whatever I want with her."

Kagome's fear went on hiatus and indignation rose in her chest. _Excuse me?_

Sesshoumaru's vision turned red at Kouga's brash words. That little wolf thought he could do whatever he wanted with _Sesshoumaru's_ female? She belonged to _him_, no matter how stretched that ownership might be.

"_I_ claim her," Sesshoumaru snarled. He refrained from ripping the fellow's throat out, but just barely.

Kagome's jaw dropped. _Excuse me!? Ex_cuse_ me!?_

Kouga glared at Sesshoumaru for a few minutes more before suddenly dropping his stance and looking away.

"Whatever," he sniffed. "It's not like you'll even ever do anything with her. And as soon as she gets tired of following you around, she'll come back to me."

With that said, he swiftly departed.

Kagome leapt around Sesshoumaru and stared off into the direction Mr. Okada had left. "I never _was_ with you!"

Sesshoumaru turned away from Kagome when she stepped in front of him, keeping his back towards her before he calmed.

_I can't let her see me like this._

When he felt his cool persona return and his eyesight lost that bloody-red hue, he turned back around to find the young woman glaring up at him. She positively crackled with energy as she glowered at him.

"What was that?" she demanded, taking a step towards him. Without thinking, Sesshoumaru took one back. "You _claim_ me? What am I – meat? How dare you?"

_No…_ Sesshoumaru thought to himself, ignoring her words. _She couldn't be…_

When the air practically sizzled as she fumed at his lack of attention, Sesshoumaru interrupted her before she could speak another word.

"You are dismissed, Higurashi. Go home. You're obviously overworked."

Kagome's mouth floundered for a moment as the words played over in her head. She could either berate him some more or leave. Which would she choose?

Deciding to go with the best option, Kagome grabbed her things and left before he could change his mind.

And that was how a lovely Sunday morning found Kagome skipping home, all anger forgotten as the pleasant September sun warmed her face as she stepped outside the building.

* * *

The door to Sesshoumaru's office opened and a well-dressed woman with a messy bun entered.

"You wanted to speak to me, Sesshoumaru?" Susan inquired.

"Yes, Susan," Sesshoumaru gazed at the woman with feigned boredom. "It's about my new secretary. I was wondering if you could… look into her background."

Susan's face lit up in a grin as she sauntered over to Sesshoumaru's desk and sat down on it. Sesshoumaru's lip curled.

"So you figured it out, huh?" she gloated. "Took you long enough. How you missed it in the first place is beyond me." She picked a pen off his desk and fiddled with it. "She positively glows with natural power."

Sesshoumaru snatched the pen away from her with inhuman speed and glared.

Susan shrugged. "Actually, my first thought was that you hired her for that very purpose. I thought you were going to set her to protecting and teaching Rin. She needs it."

"You will leave my ward out of this."

"But why did you want me to check into her?" Susan asked, her demeanor suddenly less teasing.

Sesshoumaru looked over the papers covering his desk. "There was an incident this morning and she reacted somewhat… powerfully."

"You were surprised?" Susan correctly interpreted his reaction with no little shock on her own part. There was silence in the room as Susan mulled this over for a minute, swishing it around her brain like a wine-taster with a good vintage.

"You're afraid of her…" Susan frowned into the distance, still trying out the idea. She slowly picked up enthusiasm. "You hadn't realized – _you let your guard down!_"

Sesshoumaru sniffed but did not deign to answer.

Susan cackled. "I'm right, aren't I? You thought she was just some human, but no. She's got power – magical power – and enough to set you on your heels!" Susan clapped her hands and bent forward in laughter. "Oh, Sesshoumaru, this is great. The day a little girl sets you off."

"She's untrained, Susan," Sesshoumaru told her. "That powerful and that old and she's untrained."

"And you're afraid of her," Susan confirmed. She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "A great demon like you – hundreds of years old – killed more demons, humans and witches than years you've lived and you're scared of one little girl with a little flare of magic."

"Her little flair is much lager than yours, Susan," Sesshoumaru growled at the witch. "It's not something she's learned; it's who she is. Which is powerful. And I don't want someone like that running around my office."

"No," Susan agreed, finally understand the extent of the issue. "You wouldn't. Not with all the demons you've hired, posing as human. She'd be bound to at least set someone on fire just out of instinct."

"I will inform her tomorrow of her position and you will train her," he instructed. "I can't have her wandering around, ready to blow things up at the merest hint of danger."

Susan stood up and tugged at her skirt. "And danger does seem to follow you, Sesshoumaru. I'll get out all my old training books, but you better expect: I was only born with the most minimal amount of power. I won't be able to teach her much more than how to reign her powers in."

"That's all she needs," Sesshoumaru nodded.

After Susan left, Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair and looked out of his window, over the city. This girl… she had powers and he hadn't noticed – hadn't even smelt them until she'd lost control today and he was supposed to be one of the most powerful demons that ever walked the earth. Even Susan had noticed before he had.

Sesshoumaru frowned. Were her powers that dormant or was he just getting old?

It better just be the dormant thing.

* * *

**Hey guys! Just thought I'd update. Wanna know why? Because I was reading Sidhe's work, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Dog Demons (or something very similar to that) and I was inspired. (Yes, by the lemon. Who wouldn't be?)**

**Just to let you know, there will be lemony goodness to this story. I just cannot imagine how a person would write a long-a$$ story with SESSHOUMARU and not put a gosh darned lemon in! So I will. I can't promise it'll be amazing, but I can promise no purple prose and I will have it edited by my lovely beta, who I'll just call L. (Hey, you!) So yeah.**

**Read and Review, mes petits!**


	8. Chapter 8

The Truth Comes Out… Badly

* * *

So yes. Sesshoumaru was a demon. Surprised? I won't lie – I wasn't. But then, I'm writing this story so I don't really have an excuse. More will be explained in the time to come.

Sesshoumaru sat in the back of the limousine in front of a very tall apartment building in the middle of Boston. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the door, his long nails denting the expensive leather.

The door opened and Susan slid in gracefully, dressed in light-colored jeans and a maroon t-shirt.

"It's definitely too early for this," she complained as she shrugged into her tan jacket. "Couldn't you have waited another hour even?"

Patting her hair, Susan noticed the dents Sesshoumaru had left behind and smirked.

"Guess not," she laughed.

Sesshoumaru growled and sat back in his seat to look out the window as the car started moving forward.

"Pff," Susan patted her hair. "What's got you so grumpy this morning?

Without even blinking, the demon staring out the window replied in an even voice, "This Sesshoumaru is made nervous by nothing."

Susan shrugged. "So how are we going to explain this to her? Do you just want to dump it on her or what?"

Sesshoumaru did not move, did not blink, did not respond.

Susan sighed heavily. "Come on, here," she complained. "I can't read you mind you know."

"You will handle this as you see fit," he responded evenly.

"You're kidding me," Susan huffed, sitting back in her seat. "I will handle this? You're the one who decided to tell her."

"You are the one who is like her."

Susan puffed up her bangs with a quick exhale. "Whatever," she muttered.

* * *

Kagome rolled over in bed and pulled the other half of her pillow over her face when she heard her front door open.

Not again…

Muffled footsteps made their way to her bedroom door and Kagome curled up in anticipation of a rude awakening.

Instead, there was a light tap at her door and Susan's voice gently filtered through: "Kagome? Are you awake?"

Kagome sat up. "Susan?"

The door opened slowly and Susan poked her face in. Seeing Kagome sitting in bed, decently attired if not a little bleary, Susan opened the door all the way and stepped in side the room. She smirked as she stood with her hands on her hips.

"And what's this?" she demanded. "You sleep on the floor? This isn't Japan, you know."

"And this isn't a futon," Kagome retorted. "It's a mattress – there's a difference." Kagome blinked once. "But why are you here? Do I have to come into work or what?"

Susan sighed and sat down on the edge of Kagome's bed. "Actually, Sesshoumaru and I are here to talk to you about something. You're going to think we're weird, but it's all true, so just hang in."

Sesshoumaru? "You mean Mr. Takamatsu?" Kagome asked. "Why's he here?"

"Because he's a part of this- okay, you know what? Stop it, Kagome. Stop distracting me!" Susan glared at the girl. "I'm a get-to-the-point kinda gal and you're just making me beat around the bush – Kagome, I'm a witch and so are you."

"What?"

"Oh yeah," Susan remembered off-handedly. "And Sesshoumaru's a demon."

"What?!"

"What?" Susan looked affronted. "You don't believe me?"

Kagome tried to backpedal – "What? No! Of course n" – before remembered what they were talking about – " I mean, yes! No, I don't!"

"Fine."

Susan stood and reached in the inside of her jacket. She pulled a fan from a pocket and snapped it open. She waved it in a circular gesture in the direction of a pile of dirty clothes in the corner and muttered something.

A pink arm twitched. Kagome jumped and stared harder, trying to remember if the shirt looked like it had moved because of the breeze from Susan's fan or for some other reason.

The arm twitched again, but this time, it stretched out, reaching like a person just waking. Kagome looked back to Susan to see her languidly swirling the fan, muttering a word every once in a while. When Kagome looked back to the pile of clothes, the shirt was pulling itself out of the pile, a pair of jeans working in tangent like legs.

The shirt arms pulled at the jeans waist once they were free, as if adjusting them over a pair of hips. They walked over to Kagome's bed and she had the eerie feeling they were looking down at her.

When she reached out to touch them, for a moment they felt solid, like they covered a real body. But then they collapsed in a pile, making Kagome gasp in surprise.

"Believe me now?" Susan smirked. Her eyes flashed red for a moment and Kagome gasped again.

"Your eyes!"

"Oh?" Susan raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah. I forgot they do that. When I cast spells, they'll turn red, brighter and for longer depending on the strength of the spell. Just something weird that happens."

Kagome shook her head. "Weird…"

"Yeah well," Susan sat back down on the bed next to her and shrugged. "You'll probably do something even weirder when you cast your spells."

"What makes you think I can do that?" Kagome asked doubtfully.

"I can feel it," Susan told her. "Your power – it's in your blood, in your body. It sings to me."

Susan reflected, her eyes distancing before continuing.

"Me, I have a different kind of power: I learnt mine. I spent years and years learning and crafting my arts, reading books and meeting other great witches and mages. I've worked hard to cultivate my abilities."

She turned to Kagome.

"You're lucky. You don't have to work as hard as I did, though it'll still be work. Plus, you've got me, and I'm willing to share. A lot of times I had to prove myself to my masters, doing things… just things." Susan then winked. "You've just got to do this, plus work, plus college. Think you can handle it?"

Kagome groaned. She buried her face in her hands and shook her head. "Are you serious? This sucks."

Susan laughed and stood. "Well, you took that a lot easier than I expected you to. What gives?"

"Would you believe I don't know?" Kagome asked, looking up from her palms. "But I mean, after that display, what else could I think? Unless it was a trick…" she glared suspiciously at her dirty clothes.

"Or you don't do laundry often enough and they got a life of their own at the exact moment it was convenient for me," Susan agreed.

Kagome laughed. "Guess not."

Susan nodded. "Well, and not only that, but the Sesshoumaru thing. I'd think that would freak you out just a little bit."

"What Sesshoumaru thing?"

"That he's a demon," Susan said matter-of factly.

There were a few seconds of a pause when the world was silent, the earth stopped spinning and words translated from English to Kagomenese in our main character's head.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

**The next update will be soon, I would just like to type some more of the the next chapter after that. I have the whole summer ahead of me, so I expect to be working on this (maybe even finishing this - one can only hope!) so please don't worry. I will be doing my best. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey guys, sorry this took forever. Good news is, though, that I've been really insprired with this story lately, have written bunches and bunches, and will be submitting two chapters AT ONCE, tonight!!! Yaaaaay! **

**Notice: Warning for language. Like, right off the bat.**

**Please enjoy:**

* * *

Kagome jumped to her feet.

"What the _fuck?!_"

Susan raised an eyebrow. "So it's perfectly plausible and acceptable for me to be a witch, for you to be a witch, for magic to exist _at all_, but it's blowing your mind away that Sesshoumaru is a demon?"

"Well," Kagome huffed defensively. "You know how everyone thinks their boss is the devil incarnate? Why do I have to be the only one whose boss actually _is_?"

"Sesshoumaru would love to hear that," Susan smirked. "Actually, I bet he can. Also: he's a demon, not a devil. The two are not synonymous."

"What?"

"A demon is essentially a being of immortality with specific abilities." Susan picked a piece of lint off of her jeans and flicked it into the air. "A devil is a fictional creature based off of demons. Goat demons, to be exact. Nasty buggers."

"_What?_"

"Ah, well, demons tend to have animal counterparts. The more powerful a demon, the more humanoid they appear, such as our favorite boss."

"No," Kagome held up a hand. "I mean, _what?_"

"Sesshoumaru is a dog demon."

Kagome shoved her fists to her hip and shifted her weight to one side. "And what does that _mean_, exactly? Are there more demons? Do they _all_ look like humans? What the fuck!"

Susan laughed. "Of course not! Even Sesshoumaru doesn't look like a human, not in real life anyway. He has a spell that covers up his less than humanly traits."

"Less than humanly?" Kagome echoed. "Like what?"

Susan shrugged. "His ears, his hair color, stuff like that."

"So he can do magic too?"

"Of course not," Susan scoffed while flipping her hair back. It was finally trailing over her shoulder in a low wavy pony tail, lending visual credence to her habit. "_I_ made the spell for him. It's a talisman he wears around his throat. A couple words in some ancient language and he looks normal. Well," Susan conceded. "Normal for him – strange for us."

"So you're a human?" Kagome pointed at Susan, the inside of her wrist facing up.

"Yes," Susan nodded. "As are you. The only difference between you and I is that you will be able to cast spells like glamours without using any sort of physical grounding, such as a talisman. You'll be able to – with some practice – to be able to cast the spell and sink it into his skin. Your spells will be what I guess you can call 'natural' and they'll act accordingly, meshing with their environment."

Kagome nodded slowly, mulling it over. "Cool."

Susan smirked. "Of course it is."

"So my boss isn't the only demon, right?"

"Yes."

"Who else is a demon?"

Kagome tried to think through all the people she knew. Who could be a demon? People she thought were completely normal, were completely human – something she had never even questioned before all this! – they could be demons! Whoda thunk?

Susan's smirk tugged at the edges of her mouth, climbing higher. "I think it would be a nice exercise for you to try to find out on your own. Try sensing at it. You'll notice a different… feel, I guess, around those who are human and those who aren't. Eventually you'll even begin to sense what species the non-humans are."

Kagome's fists dropped from her hips and slid up her sides until she stood with her arms crossed, thinking. "Sesshoumaru's a dog demon? Really?"

"Yes." Susan confirmed.

Our heroine's brows were knitted together, her mouth frowning as she tried to sort out all the new information. "Does that mean he has like… qualities of a dog? Like, does he have dog traits? Does he do stuff that's dog-like?"

"Kind of," Susan shrugged. "In a way."

She leaned back on the bed, her legs stretched out in front of her and crossed at the ankles. Holding a hand before her and inspecting her red nails, she continued to answer Kagome's question.

"He doesn't start scratching himself with his hind leg if that's what you mean…"

"I knew that!" Kagome interjected hastily.

"But he does have some more… I guess you could call them personality traits?" Susan stuck a finger in her mouth and chewed at a hangnail. "He's got some personality traits like a dog. And heightened senses, though all demons have those. His tend to be a little bit better 'cause of the dog part – his hearing and smelling mostly."

"So his hearing's, like, really, really good?" Kagome's question was really more of a statement.

"Yeah?" Susan returned her attention from her skirt to the girl. "So?"

"So he can hear what we're saying _right. now?_"

"Yes," Sesshoumaru answered as he walked through the bedroom door.

Kagome smacked her palm against her forehead.

"Is it necessary for you to be in here right now?" she asked him.

Sesshoumaru's eyes scanned the small room, taking in the piles of rumpled clothes, both dirty and clean, the mattress with the sheets rumpled and the empty banana crate that served as a bookshelf un the window.

"I can honestly say I wish not."

"Hey," Kagome shook her finger at him. "None of this backwards progression in our relationship. We were just starting to get along so well, too."

Sesshoumaru's stoic face remained as always. "Our relationship?" he inquired as Susan snorted.

"Yeah," Kagome leaned back on one foot and crossed her arms. "You know, just the other day we were in the office, making jokes, laughing it up and working together pretty well."

"We were never making jokes together."

"Whatever," Kagome conceded. "_I_ was making jokes."

"I do not remember such jokes."

"Okay, fine! _I_ was making fun of Jaken!"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "And may you never forget."

Susan stood up. "Okay, time for me to take control of this situation. Sesshoumaru – you need to wait outside. Kagome? You need to get dressed."

Sesshoumaru left, the words of Kagome reaching his sensitive ears only moments before Kagura shut the bedroom door behind him.

"Okay, if what he just said wasn't a joke, then what is?"

* * *

The phone rang.

Sesshoumaru ignored it as he sat back on the cheap, burgundy couch. He supposed it was a fine enough couch for one such as the girl. And the building…

The phone rang.

The building was in a nice enough neighborhood for one such as she. As long as she avoided the streets at night, alone. But then, there was a company car that assisted her with such things.

The phone rang. Again.

And once this girl reached her full potential, she would be a formidable match against many who would attack her in the night, especially the humans.

The pho-

"Sesshoumaru!" Susan called from the bedroom. "Pick it up!"

Sesshoumaru gave a small snort of disdain and returned to his previous line of thinking.

But before she was a fully realized power, he would have to make sure she-

"Mr. Takamatsu…"

This time it was the girl's voice that filtered through the thin walls of the apartment. It was heavy and loose with pleading, falling pleasantly on his ears, without the least bit whine of those who normally seek favors and without the grating command of Susan's.

"Please, Mr. Takamatsu. Could you please pick up the phone?"

Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and stood gracefully, bringing his lithe and powerful body over to the cheap plastic phone that hung on the wall near the kitchen. Sneering, he lifted the device from its hook and held it delicately a short way from his ear, fighting the desire to crush it in disdain.

"Yes?" he drawled.

"Who is this?" demanded a forceful voice.

"Is that not generally the question the person receiving the call should make?" Sesshoumaru looked out the window. Well, it was a nice view. Especially for what little she had to be paying for it.

"Yeah, but the person who _should_ be answering this call is Kagome, so why don't you just tell me where she is before I come over there and exterminate you?"

Before Sesshoumaru could put the indignant female in her place, a smoother voice came in the background.

"Now now, Sango, my dear. Why don't you hand me the phone? There's no need to be upset, I'm sure Kagome merely has a companion over."

The woman's voice was pushed further into the background as she squawked, "What "companion" comes over this early in the morning?"

The man chuckled as he placed the phone near his mouth and spoke. "One would wonder if it were the sort of companion who would call at a similar hour. That is if one were brave enough to inquire such."

"The wrath of your woman is formidable, I assume," Sesshoumaru acknowledged solemnly. Human men were easily cowered.

The man's laugh chimed deeply. "Yes, my Sango is quite a woman."

Unintelligible and angry sounds were made on the other end.

"What is it that you need?" Sesshoumaru demanded, tiring of the prattle. "The one known as Kagome is busy now."

"Will she be free later?" the man asked politely.

"No." Sesshoumaru was beginning to dislike to smooth talker on the phone.

"May I ask why?"

"No," Sesshoumaru was finished with this conversation. "I have need of her presence."

And so he hung up.

"Who was it?"

Kagome walked out of the bedroom, followed by Susan.

"Inconsequential." Sesshoumaru turned away from them and walked to the door. "We will leave now."

"No, wait," Kagome walked to the phone and picked it up, hitting buttons. "I wanna see who called."

Sesshoumaru stopped at the door. Later on, historians will argue. There will be many debates on this moment and its significance – whether it even happened or not – but it is strongly believed that at this very instance… Sesshoumaru Takamatsu's eye _twitched_.

"Mr. Takamatsu!" Kagome screeched.

"Darling…" Susan cooed as she tugged at her own injured ear, wincing at the thought of how the shriek must have hurt the dog demon. "Sesshoumaru's a _dog_ demon. He has somewhat sensitive _hearing_."

Kagome spun around angrily and thrust the phone at Sesshoumaru.

"Damn right he's a dog! These were my _friends!_"

Sesshoumaru growled and swiped the phone out of her hand. Kagome watched it crash to the floor, the little caller ID screen cracking. The growling continued and Kagome's vision was forced back to her employer as he completely disregarded her personal boundaries, stepping in so close that she could almost feel the vibrations of his chest as he continued the guttural, low-pitched growling.

That was strangely masculine for all it was animalistic.

The moment stretched out in a strange manner. It was almost as if that sliver of time had separated itself from the continuum it existed in and wrapped itself around the two of them.

His reaction was like none Kagome had expected. Any other person would have yelled or shouted. Maybe a person who cared about keeping a check on his temper would have gritted out biting words to leave an invisible mark.

But Sesshoumaru was different from anyone else or their reactions. (He would have said he was better than that.) He stood in front of Kagome, her nose level with the center of his chest, and he was silent. Kagome tried to glare up at him, tried to stand her ground, but it was hard. His eyes were both piercing and shuttered. Despite how obvious it was that he was angered, Kagome still questioned what he was thinking. Was he angry she had jabbed him with the phone or was he angry he had answered it and she hadn't "thanked" him "properly"?

Kagome felt her steadfastness waver. He was so scary looking right now – and he was her boss!

No. Kagome's chin rose again and she stiffened her spin. Sesshoumaru's right eyebrow lifted slightly and he looked somewhat amused for a moment, before returning to a blank slate. Kagome's own eyebrows drew together. Wasn't he angry anymore? Was he teasing her now?

"Okay, you guys, that's enough. I don't want to spend all day here, no offense, Kagome."

Kagome looked away without thinking, Susan's interruption breaking her concentration.

"Damnit!" Kagome cursed, her eyes snapping back to Sesshoumaru's. However, Sesshoumaru was looking smugly over at Susan, which was probably a good thing, as it kept Kagome from engaging him in another staring contest.

"Geeze," Susan muttered under her breath as they filed out the door. "If you were men, I would have told you both just to lay them out on the table and measure 'em."

Kagome spun around and stuck her tongue out at Susan who only grinned.

"Hey," she warned. "Don't go sticking that out at people if you don't plan on using it."

Sesshoumaru, who walked ahead of them both, rolled his eyes while Kagome laughed.

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**AN: Kagome has a weird sense of humor in this fic, doesn't she? Anyway, keep reading on because there are two chapters for you now, so go go go! (Review, too, please!) **


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I know this one is a little shorter, but it made sense to break off the story here, rather than later, so I'm sorry for that. But it's still two whole chapters at once! That... kinda makes up for how long it takes me to post such middling chappies... no, it doesn't. :( I'm sorry.**

* * *

"This'll be an interesting exercise," Susan whispered in Kagome's ear as they and Sesshoumaru walked through the lobby of their work, Jaken scurrying behind to catch up. "Try and see if you can tell who's a demon and who's a human."

"What?" Kagome glanced at Susan in shock. "There are more demons who work here?"

"Of course. Demons gotta eat, too, ya know."

Kagome stared hard at the people who passed by. When they got into the elevator, she kept her eyes peeled until the doors shut off the group from everyone else.

"Are you in need of glasses?"

Kagome smiled sweetly up at her employer. "Why no, Mr. Takamatsu, I'm trying to point out demons. Have you any idea what one looks like?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flickered down to her and his voice carried a heavy warning on it when he spoke. "When they aren't using glamours, it is very easy to "point out" demons."

The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened to a busy floor. Kagome's stomach turned when she noticed the lit-up number 12.

"The trick is doing it when they're disguised," Susan agreed, allowing Sesshoumaru to walk off the elevator first. "Try sensing it out with your powers rather than looking. Your abilities are like a muscle – you have to keep flexing and using them to strengthen them."

"Sorta like that mouth of yours, eh Windy?"

"Har har, Kouga," Susan continued walking behind Sesshoumaru as the ruggedly handsome man trotted up beside the two women. "That's the best you can do? In the words of Steven Pearl: I can't believe that out of ten thousand sperm, you were the fastest."

Kagome choked back a guffaw, but Kouga seemed unfazed.

"Just try not to touch any of the computers – we wouldn't want to spend precious time trying to thaw them out from your frigidness."

"I can think of something I'd like to-"

"Hey, Kagome," Kouga interrupted Susan with a dazzling grin at Kagome. It was almost wolfish, a trait Kagome was finding to be something rather consistent with the charming buck. "Everything going good?"

"Wonderful, Mr. Okada."

"I told you, Kagome; call me Kouga."

"Mr. Okada…"

"Kagome…"

Kouga's grin pulled up further in one corner and Kagome could swear his canine tooth was rather more… canine than before.

"By the way, you smell great today, Kagome."

"Okada." Sesshoumaru turned so suddenly that Kagome nearly bumped into him. He placed his hand on her shoulder and drew her to his side as Susan and Kouga skidded to a stop.

"Takamatsu." Kouga frowned at his boss.

"Do not harass my secretary, Okada, or I will take it out of your hide." Sesshoumaru issued the warning in an almost bored tone of voice, but his eyes were sharp as he stared down at Kouga.

Kagome was positive that if Kouga had hackles, he'd be bristling them like a dog as he practically growled back a reply.

But Kagome didn't hear him as her mind detached itself from the conversation. Hackles, growling, canine teeth and wolfish grins. Those were all strangely consistent descriptions for Mr. Okada in Kagome's inner monologue that would normally just be a coincidence. However, with recent enlightenments…

Kagome looked harder at Kouga Okada as he argued (somewhat politely… okay, at best: restrained) with his/their boss.

_Look beyond, look beyond…_

In a different time, in a different place, Kagome would tap her sparkly, red heels together and start chanting. But this was not that time or place.

Something flickered around Kouga's head. Kagome looked again and the flicker lasted longer, changing Kouga's rounded, human ear to a pointy elfin shape. She gasped and it changed back.

Sesshoumaru and Kouga halted their argument to look at Kagome who immediately turned bright red. Susan was smirking in a triumphant sort of way behind Kouga's shoulder.

"You're…" Kagome dropped her voice to a whisper and stepped closer to Kouga who lowered his head confusedly to hear her better. "You're an elf!"

There was a moment of silence before raucous laughter broke out.

"Oh god!" Susan cried, wiping a tear from the corner of one eye. "An elf!"

Kouga scowled as Susan howled and even Sesshoumaru had to fight a smile that tugged at his lips.

"A wolf-elf?" Kagome clarified uncertainly.

Susan had to bend over, holding her stomach with both arms, she was laughing so hard.

"I'm not an elf!" Kouga bit out. "Shut up, Susan!"

"But…" Kagome continued on tentatively, wondering what could possibly be so funny about being an elf. "But your ears… they're pointy."

Suddenly, Kouga Okada was not the charming young director of computer technology he had always appeared towards Kagome. Suddenly, he was a menacing figure – an unknown species with unknown abilities towering over a much smaller young woman. His blue eyes seemed to have darkened to an almost black and his face was pulled into a teeth-bearing growl.

"And how would you know about that?"

"Enough, Okada." Sesshoumaru stepped in once more, his face retaining its stoic composure in the face of Kouga's hostility.

"She knows, Takamatsu," Kouga growled. "Are you going to kill her?"

"Oh, just shove it, Kouga," Susan rolled her eyes, clearly finished amusing herself and now somewhat annoyed. "She's a witch."

Kouga's face lost its ferociousness and settled into unhappy unsettlement. "Aw, fuck. Another Kagura?"

"Another what?" Kagome asked.

"Kagura." Kouga repeated. "Windy, over there." He jerked a thumb at Susan.

"It's my nickname, I guess," Susan shrugged. "It's a type of Japanese dance."

"You're not Japanese," Kagome pointed out.

"Wow," Susan said sarcastically. "I hadn't noticed. What a revelation. Of course, I know that – Flea-Bite over here named me that."

Kouga shrugged sheepishly. "Aw, it was nuthin'."

Susan rolled her eyes.

* * *

At the end of the day, Kagome had successfully pointed out four more non-humans, excluding Jaken. (Who didn't count anyway because she'd always sort of suspected he was inhumanly cruel and rude. Smelly, little munchkin. Now she had no problem saying that! He almost technically was one!)

She was sitting at her desk, typing out a few emails Sesshoumaru had outlined for her when her cell-phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Kagome?"

"Sango?"

"Oh my god, Kagome! What happened? Who was that guy on your phone? Miroku said he seemed really mad and then he just hung up on us!"

Kagome glanced at the closed door Sesshoumaru sat behind. Quickly, she spun away from his office and hunched over the phone.

"I have some big news, Sango," Kagome whispered. "I get off work in an hour; can I come over?"

"Of course! We'll pick you up, but what's the matter? Why are you whispering?"

"Nothing, it's nothing, Sango. I just don't want my boss to hear-"

"You don't want this Sesshoumaru to hear what, exactly?"

Kagome shot up from her hunchback position in her chair like the cap off a soda bottle that'd been shook too many times. Her cell phone made a magnificent arc in the air, flipping over and over until it crashed into tiny, little-

No, Sesshoumaru caught it. Neatly, with one hand, the big, bad demon caught Kagome's cell phone and put it to his ear.

Even Kagome, with her less than extraordinary hearing, could make out the sound of Sango's cries through the portable telephone.

"You," Sesshoumaru said into the phone. "were on the phone earlier with my assistant. Do you realize she is working right now?"

Kagome could hear Sango trying to apologize but even though Kagome knew Sango was sputtering, she couldn't make out the words.

"Higurashi is very busy right now," Sesshoumaru smoothly interrupted Sango who fell dead silent as soon as he spoke. "You will regiment your time with her to the hours she is not spending servicing me."

Sesshoumaru clicked the End button with his thumb and placed the cell phone on Kagome's desk.

Kagome stared up at him.

Sesshoumaru felt oddly pleased with her silence in a way he had never felt about a silence before. It wasn't just the fact that he no longer had to listen to her voice, it was that she looked so awed, so dumbstruck, so impressed-

"I can't believe you just said that," Kagome interrupted Sesshoumaru's train of thought. "That was the most awkward phrasing I have ever heard. In my life."

A moment passes before Sesshoumaru realized what she was referring to, but he tried not to let it show in his face, despite feeling heat crawl up the ridges of his ears.

"You are my assistant," he spoke. "My servant, you serve me. It is not difficult to determine that, even if your American colloquialism makes you hear something different initially."

"It's still awkward," Kagome mumbled as she grabbed her cell phone off the desk.

Sesshoumaru felt a need to sigh, but refrained.

"Leave, Higurashi," Sesshoumaru instructed. "Kagura will teach you some things you need to know. Particularly restraint."

Kagome stood behind her desk and felt the wild need to bow. Maybe it was the dignity and natural authority Sesshoumaru showed, but she felt like if this were five hundred years ago, and they were in Japan, he'd be some great warlord or something. The guy was practically _made_ to be bowed to.

It was an aspect of his character that she could majorly respect.

But when she left, it was with a wave, and not a bow.

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**AN: Ha ha, that Kagome...**


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